Room 4 one more
by icecoldapplefangs13
Summary: When Zoey is left behind by her friends, she is truly left for dead. When she is found by the other survivors, is she willing to move on and forget them? Rated M for Ellis x Zoey lemons and language.
1. Refugee

Chapter 1 refugee

ZPOV

My face slammed into the murky puddle as another strong blow hit me in the back. I couldn't feel from my waist down, if there was any of it left. The tank roared above me angrily, the noise deafening me.

My heart was hammering inside my head. I lifted my head wearily. I could see the tank heading towards the saferoom. Thank God it had left me, another attack from the mutant beast and I would've been a goner. I could see the bright light of the saferoom and was just able to hear the screaming voices from inside.

"Dude we can't!" Francis screamed, standing outside the door looking for me, his voice strained. "We can't leave her there, we need to go back!"

"Francis!" Louis screamed back at him, grabbing his arm. He seemed just a distressed. "She's gone, she's fucking gone Francis!"

The tank roared and ripped a huge chunk of concrete out of the cobbled road and as it soared in the air, the saferoom door closed. That was it.

Although I could see the tank charging into the distance, probably thinking I was dead, I would either die of excessive bleeding or a hunter would find me like it had earlier. I had a huge gash on my stomach and deep scratches on my chest and thighs. I wasn't going to make it.

My eyesight was blurry and my hands were going numb. I sighed raggedly, rested my head on the cobbled stones and said my prayers. Tears began rolling down my cheeks. I knew it was no use crying and it wasn't something I did often but it was a release. There would only be Francis and Louis left, Bill had already gone.

The blood from my chest had just touched my cheek, so I knew I didn't have long. And then a wave of deep, heavy black overtook me and my face slammed to the floor, defeated.

I thought I was dead, but being dead wouldn't hurt this much. My stomach ached badly but as I tried to lift my hand to cradle the wound, I couldn't move.

I believed I had been unconscious a long time because the heavy rain had stopped and I could no longer see a hint of light through my eyelids. And then I heard a voice. I had no idea what I was hearing, perhaps my mind was playing tricks on me but when I heard it again, slightly clearer this time, I knew it was real.

"Hey look!" the voice cried, deep and hard, "there's a girl here!" Footsteps headed closer to me, followed by more until they stood so close I could feel a shoe next to me.

"Is she alive?" A timid voice asked. It was a girl's voice, thank God. A hand touched my back and the shock bolted through me.

"Aghh," I choked, finally being able to move again. A searing pain ripped through my chest. I felt them jump back.

"I don't know, should we bring her along?" a deeper voice asked.

"Yeah, yeah we gotta man," a shaken southern male voice said, he sounded younger. " I ain't leaving her."

I was scooped up in warm, sturdy arms, trying to ignore my pain.

"Aw, man she's real pretty," the southern voice said. I was in his arms, his neck vibrated as he spoke and his breath washed over my face. I curled up to his warm chest, a relief from the cold, hard, wet stones.

"The safe room's just up here," the deepest voice said, "we'll stay for a few nights." The jolting of the southerner's body as he ran made my stomach ache but I tried to ignore it. If I wailed, he'd probably drop me with fright.

I kept my eyes closed but I could tell we were in the saferoom, it was warmer and I could hear the door being bolted.

"Ellis honey, we're going to get food and blankets. There's a store around the around the corner-well what's left of a store. We won't be long, Nick will be sleeping downstairs," said the girl's voice.

"Okay then," the southerner said, who I guessed must be Ellis, "I'll take her upstairs n' patch her up."

Ellis's heavy footsteps filled my head as he trailed up the stairs with me still clinging to him. I didn't want to open my eyes, I couldn't physically bring myself to do it, but I felt myself slowing drifting into the familiar feeling of unconsciousness. The last thing I remember feeling was strong, tender hands prying my fingers from their shirt.

I didn't know how long I'd slept but I suddenly felt very awake. I sat up swiftly and opened my eyes, relieved I had the strength to do it. I was lying on a double mattress, with one pillow under my head and a thin blanket pulled around me. The room was small, with just the mattress and a lamp that was our only source of light, it seemed.

There was a bottle of water next to me and some pain pills. I took them eagerly, but soon regretted it. I wasn't in as much pain as I had been before and so the pills were simply going to keep me up.

The window was simply a square hole in the wall, the glass replaced with a metal grid. I shivered as a cool breeze came through the window and although it was refreshing, it was cold. I lifted up my blood stained tank top and gasped. My wounds were now covered in heavy bandages, even the ones on my chest. I pulled my jeans down slightly. Even the ones of my thighs. I blushed at the thought of someone patching my chest up.

A small sigh next to me made me jolt in fright and allowed realisation to dawn on me, remembering it had been Ellis had taken me up here in the first place. He was facing me, his hands curled up into fists. He had caramel curly hair which was covered by a cap with a little blue truck on. His face was relaxed while he slept, the most relaxed I'd seen someone in a long time.

He didn't look very old, maybe the same age as me. He had light stubble which surrounded his parted pink lips. He was wearing a yellow shirt on which you could see previous blood stains that were faded from what looked like a hand wash. He was actually pretty cute.

I stood up carefully and headed over to the window, wanting to get some more air. The sky was a heavy black outside, I guessed it was around early morning. A few lifeless zombies wandered around aimless under the faint glow of the failing streetlamps, their muttering and groans an all too familiar sound.

I inhaled a shaky breath and had to hold on to the grid for support. I was still tired, I needed more sleep but I knew I couldn't do it. I was also starving with my last meal being well over three days and it added to the weakness my wounds were causing me. Suddenly, through the thick bars of the window, a desperate hand grabbed my arm, causing me to yelp and step back, patting my pockets for my pistols.

"God dammit," I muttered. They weren't there. The zombie climbed further up the railing and continued to stick his hand through the railing, screeching loudly. I stepped further back when what could only be Ellis in his faded yellow shirt jumped in front of me and nudged the zombie with his pistol, making it loose its grip and fall to the streets below, landing with an ear-splitting crack.

"Hey, you ok?" He asked, turning to face me.

I nodded silently in reply.

"My name's Ellis," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "Some people call me El but I don't really like that 'cause I think it sounds like a girl's name, but you can call me El if you wanna." He seemed pretty nervous. A strong pain tore through me and I gasped raggedly.

"Woah hey," he said coming over to me with his arms outstretched. "You ok there, miss?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," I lied. It seemed I had needed the pain pills, but they weren't working yet. I fell to my knees and laid face down on the old mattress. Ellis sat down next to me, where he'd been sleeping.

"You were in pretty bad shape when we found you," He said, his eyes focused on the dim light the lamp gave out. "You were all covered in blood n stuff, I thought you were already dead when we found ya."

I tried not to remember about any of it, not wanting to recall the pain or my friends.

"_Do you see anything?__"__ I whispered as Louis stared through a pair of dirty binoculars a ambling zombie had carelessly dropped._

"_Mm, not yet,__"__ he muttered. He stood up shakily, __"__I__'__ll try the other side.__"_

_We__'__d managed to get on a high roof and we were looking for any sight of a saferoom. I shuffled over to Francis who was sitting behind an air vent, looking the saddest I__'__d seen him. He was holding Bill__'__s hat in his hand, turning it around aimlessly. Everyone was upset over his death, I had tried not to think about it unless I was reminded of it. I blinked and wiped the tears out of my eyes, not wanting to look weak._

"_Come here,__"__ Francis said weakly, holding his arms out to me. I leaned into him silently, my breathing ragged._

"_It__'__ll be ok,__"__ he sighed, stroking me hair. It wasn__'__t like him to be affectionate or show weakness but it seemed everything was pretty hopeless lately._

"_Yes I found one__!"__ Louis cried, jumping up excitedly, still trying to keep his voice low. __"__Come on, let__'__s go!__"_

_As we climbed carefully down the rusted ladder that hung from the side of the building, it began to rain heavily. It was hard to see, the rain pounding against our faces as we headed to what we hoped to be the right direction. As a faint light grew in the distance, the cobbled road beneath us began to shake. _

"_Shit tank!__"__ Francis screamed, but I could hardly hear him. __"__Quick let__'__s go!__"_

_We ran forwards, unable to see any kind of light at all. I heard a distance roar which made me run faster. Still, I wasn__'__t able to catch up with Francis and Louis. A hunter had found me and torn me to shreds. _

_When Louis found me and eventually shoved the hunter off and blasted it with a shotgun, I was a mess. None of us had a first aid kit and so I had to wait until we found one. That__'__s why we__'__d climbed onto the roof, to get a better sight of were we were headed._

_Louis and Francis were able to run ahead but I was practically limping behind them. I lost my balance and fell hard onto the street, not being able to get up. Francis came back for me but just as he went to pull me up, I felt the first, sharp hit into my back._

"Hey," Ellis said, waving his hand in front of my face, "urr miss?"

"Yeah," I said suddenly, realising I was still here and that I'd been staring at the wall for 3 minutes.

"What's your name?" Ellis asked, taking his hat off and twisting it in his hands.

"Zoey," I yawned, laying carefully back on the mattress.

"Zoey hmm," I heard Ellis say, "well that's-"

But I was already unconscious before he could finish his sentence.


	2. Bonding

Chapter 2 Bonding

I woke up swiftly, gasping. My skin was hot and sweat dampened the back of my neck. I'd had the frequent memory replaying over and over in my mind as if it were a scratched record. Louis and Francis screaming at me to run. The thing is when I dreamt it, it was so real, so vivid that I couldn't tell if it was real or not. Light shone through the gridded window so at least I didn't have to sleep again. Ellis was nowhere in sight. I padded barefoot into the hallway, trying not to stretch my sore wounds. There was only one room upstairs and that was the one I slept in. I headed slowly down the stairs, my arms shaking. The room downstairs was big, big for a saferoom. There was a kitchen area and in the middle was a big, circular table. From a small door to my left I could faintly hear a shower running, thank god. There was a man wearing a suit spreading cards out on the table while balancing a cigarette in his mouth. His suit looked like it used to be white, with a faded blue collar shirt underneath, which blended well with his coal black hair. Sitting next to him was an overweight, dark skinned man wearing a purple polo shirt with yellow sleeves. Neither of them seemed to notice me. As Ellis's eyes met mine he grinned.

"So your up?" Ellis laughed "Uh guys this is Zoey, ya know, from yesterday"

"Well who else is she gonna be" Suit answered rudely. Ellis scowled.

"I'm coach" The big guy said "And this is Nick" He gestured towards suit.

"Don't tell Rochelle were playing cards" He muttered. Nick leaned over and muttered something to Coach. He nodded. I didn't say anything.

"Can she even talk?" Nick asked, tapping the end of his cigarette in his hand.

"Well she was talkin last night" Ellis said, ruffling his hair.

"I bet she was" Nick laughed.

"I bet she was" Ellis imitated childishly. I headed back upstairs again, my head feeling light.

"Hey that's not funny guys" I heard Ellis say sternly before following me up. My legs failed under me and if not for Ellis catching me I would've smacked straight into the wooden floor.

"Woah steady on" He laughed "Are you sure your okay?"

"Yeah" I muttered "Just fine" he took his hands of my waist and stood back. "Were are my pistols?" I asked as my hands once again brushed my empty pockets. Ellis looked a little confused.

"Urm, well were not leaving yet" He said "Were gonna be here for another day or so"

"But I need to go" I said shakily "I need to find.." my voice trailed off, remembering back to my friends, the things we'd been through. When we'd lost Bill I think I'd taken to it the worst. I'd always tried to remain strong, even in a zombie apocalypse but when I realised what Bill had done to keep us alive, I had cried and cried and cried. They'd never seen me cry, not like that. I had to find them, I had to find Louis and Francis. I could imagine the guilt they were feeling, they probably thought I was dead. I didn't realise that tears were rolling down my cheeks until a hot thumb frantically wiped them away.

"Hey now we'll find, uh, who your looking for" Ellis smiled weakly. I leaned into his chest and tried to steady my breathing. Ellis said nothing, he just stroked my tangled hair. There was a loud crash downstairs that made me jump.

"Nick are you playing cards again?" I presumed that was Rochelle.

"No I'm not!" Nick protested "Ellis!" Ellis jumped and headed down the stairs. I followed swiftly after him.

"Was I playing cards?" he asked, winking as he did. Rochelle looked at Ellis. It was the first time I'd seen her. She was dark skinned with a very pretty face and thick black hair that was tied up in a bun. She wore a pink t-shirt and jeans.

"Well Ellis" said Rochelle, almost motherly towards Ellis "Was he playing cards?" Nick covered his face with his hand and pointed his finger towards the ceiling. Ellis nodded slightly.

"No he weren't, honest" Ellis said quickly. Nick smiled.

"Well, ok then" Rochelle said, glaring at Nick all the same. Nick shrugged. I wonder what Nick had meant that made Ellis lie for him. Rochelle smiled at me.

"I'm Rochelle" She said, taking my hand "You must be Zoey" Ellis had probably told her my name "I'm so glad I'm not the last woman left alive"

"Me too" I smiled weakly.

"We were meant to be heading out today" she sighed heavily "But" she gestured towards the door "I think were gonna have to stay here another night." As if to back her up, the light rain became heavier outside.

"We've got enough food for another night" Coach said while searching through the cupboards "But, damn, no chocolate" Ellis headed over to the small TV to try get it working again. Coach and Rochelle were studying a map, placing big red X's on different states. Nick had taken off his white jacket and was scrubbing it in the kitchen sink. And I headed over to the sofa and laid down, burying my face into the musty smelling fabric. I heard Ellis chuckle before more light buzzing sounded from the screen.

I hadn't realised I'd fallen asleep but I was woken to the sound of shouting. I didn't open my eyes but I guessed the argument had been going on for quite a while.

"That's not funny Nick, for Christ sake!" Ellis yelled.

"We don't have time for this Ellis" Nick shouted back at him. They sounded close, in the kitchen maybe "You can drag her along all you want but don't risk our lives doing it!"

"Man you know how I feel about her!" Ellis's voice was quieter, he sounded upset. I froze "You know how I feel."

"Boys that's enough" I heard Rochelle's voice, stern "Arguing is going to get us nowhere. Besides, your going to wake Zoey up."

I heard footsteps head up the stairs, more than one. The heavy rain clattered against the metal bars of the glass-less windows and I felt droplets on my face, it was a nice feeling.

"Goodnight Ellis" I heard Rochelle say softly before more footsteps followed upstairs. Goodnight? How long had I been sleeping? I opened my eyes briefly, a difficult thing to do when just waking up. I managed to get a glimpse of Ellis staring at the stairs before my eyes snapped shut again, exhausted. I heard his footsteps come closer to me before a warm hand stroked my cheek. I shivered, but it wasn't an uncomfortable feeling. I lazily opened one eye. My mouth was becoming incredible dry, I hadn't had a drink all day.

"Well hello there" Ellis smiled, taking his hand from my face "You gone slept for quite a while there." I yawned and he laughed. I sat up carefully and grabbed a bottle of water from the small, battered coffee table. It was dark in the room, with only a light from upstairs and the moonlight through the caged window helping me see. Although the rain was extremely heavy outside, I heard no usual moans or groans from the wandering dead and as I drank the water greedily, I wondered if zombies could sleep. I hadn't realised Ellis had wandered into the kitchen until he was kneeling beside me with a plate.

"Urm, Rochelle made this earlier. It's like a pasta thing, It's pretty good." He said nervously, placing the plate on my newly bandaged stomach. It was pasta shells covered in a thick red sauce. He handed me a fork, which looked surprisingly clean. As I spooned a forkful of cold pasta into my mouth, my stomach thanked me. I'd finished it within record time and decided to get up a take it to the kitchen myself, despite Ellis holding a hand out for the empty plate. My wounds were still bandaged but they were starting to hurt less, I didn't know whether this was because they were going numb or getting better. I placed the bowl with the others in the rusting sink and searched the fridge for something more to drink.

"We have beer?" I gasped, pulling a can from the top shelf.

"Sure do" Ellis said, coming up behind me and grabbing one for himself "Found these babies a few days ago in a locked freezer of an abandoned bar. Took a few goes with the crowbar to get that open" He grinned proudly. I slouched back into the same position on the sofa and popped open the can of beer, satisfied by the familiar hissing noise it made.

"Your over 21 right?" Ellis asked, eyeing me playfully from the armchair opposite me.

"21 last June" I smiled, pressing my lips to the cold rim of the can. The beer was bitter but slightly sweet in a way, the perfect mix. Although it was kept in the fridge, the aftertaste made you know it had been in their a while. I didn't care.

"Just you wait till you hit 23" Ellis smiled, sipping his own beer "Man I've had some good times." Ellis stretched out his legs and crossed his ankles on the old coffee table. I copied him. I wouldn't be able to sleep now after sleeping all day, especially after a beer. Ellis didn't seem tired. He grinned happily and placed his can next to his feet.

"Hey, did I ever tell you bout the time my buddy Keith tried to deep fry a turkey? Third-degree burns over 95% of his body." He chuckled "Man it was not a pretty sight."

"Really?" I laughed "That sounds pretty painful."

"You think that's painful?" Ellis chuckled "This one time…"

And so the night continued on with Ellis and I bonding while laughing and drinking our beer. I couldn't remember when the night ended, but I remembered the dream I had. I was running, running for my life, my legs now robotic. My heart was pounding in my head making me unable to think straight. My vision began to blur and a wave of panic washed over me. And as I turned around to see exactly what I was running from, I slipped on the wet ground, my head slamming harshly into the concrete floor. Blood seeped from my forehead and, as I looked up, I was able to make out another figure kneeling beside me. I recognised the murky, bloodstained yellow shirt and blue truck hat.

"Zoey get up!" Ellis screamed at me, tugging at my arm "Get up Zoey, get up!" But then Ellis was gone. I didn't know where but he was gone. But then his limp body fell beside me, his eyes open and still, the blood draining from his face. His hands that had once held me were now curled slightly and turning a stone grey. Then someone picked up Ellis by his feet and began dragging him away from me. I remember screaming at them, begging them to leave him with me, just for a little longer. But whoever it was refused and continued to drag him, cutting his face on the sharp stones as they did. And all the while, Louis's voice rang in my head.

"Francis. She's gone, she's fucking gone Francis!"


	3. Charged

Chapter 3 Charged

'_Oh, these times are hard. Yeah, they're making us crazy. Don't give up on me baby.'_

"She's stopped screaming, you think we should wake her up now?" I heard Ellis's voice, soft against my ear

"Yeah, I think so" I heard Rochelle say "I'll go get the stuff ready." I lazily opened one eye to find Ellis kneeling next to me on the floor.

"Oh your awake" He grinned "I was gonna wake you up cause of all the crying and everything but I didn't know what to-"

"Wait, crying? What are you talking about?" I asked, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.

"Yeah. I woke up in the middle of the night cause you was screaming and crying and everything but I didn't wanna wake you up. I thought you was having a nightmare. You remember what your dream was about?" Ellis asked softly, looking slightly worried. I shook my head. Ellis frowned.

"Well you kept saying 'no don't take him, leave him with me' and stuff like that, you don't remember?" Ellis asked again. Then I remembered. Ellis's still, cold body was being dragged away from me. But I didn't want him to go, even though he was dead I wanted him there with me. Ellis looked at me, waiting for an answer.

"No" I lied "I can't remember it." I didn't know why but I felt that dream to be quite personal to me and I didn't feel like telling anyone else, not even Ellis.

"Well let's go" He pulled himself onto his feet and picked up a rifle from the coffee table.

"Where are we going?" I asked, unaware we were leaving today.

"We need to go today" He explained "were outta food and luckily the rain's stopped." He handed me a towel.

"Shower's free" He grinned. I didn't know why, but I blushed. He must have been in the shower before me because his caramel hair was darker and it dampened his shirt. I headed into the bathroom and locked the door behind me. The bathroom had pale yellow tiles and looked a little run down but it was a bathroom none the less. It seemed Ellis had given me his towel because it was still slightly damp and it smelled musky, like a soft wood. I recognised the smell from when he had first held me but when all I could think about was pain. I wanted to get the shower over and done with, I wanted to get out to see actual daylight as soon as possible. But the warm water against my back and my neck relaxed me and there was no way I could rush this. Under the thundering of the water on my skull it was quiet and it made me forget about everything. I sighed heavily into the warm air, water droplets hung from my bottom lip. Finally I decided to get out, knowing that everyone else was probably waiting for me. I wrapped myself in Ellis's blue towel and wiped away the steam from the mirror. I stared at myself, my eyes wide and my cheeks flushed. I looked a lot better than I had when I first came here, my face was no longer filled with stress, my eyes somehow softer. The bandages lay on the floor, my cuts now just a pale lining. I breathed heavily, the mirror steaming up again and picked my clothes up off the floor. When I was dried and dressed I pulled my damp hair sharply back into a ponytail and unlocked the bathroom door. Everyone was sitting around the big table, picking at what looked like old cereal. There was a spare bowl on the table next to an empty chair. I headed over, sat down, took one look and my cereal and pushed it away. Nick did the same.

"I'm fed up of eating this crap" He complained, resting his hand on cheek "There's got to be at least one fridge someone left behind, with decent food in."

"Well, it's the best were gonna get" Coach laughed, his bowl already empty. Rochelle had eaten all of hers too, Ellis only ate half.

"This one time" Ellis said, leaning back on his chair "I dared my buddy Keith to eat a-" But his chair fell back and took him with him, smacking his head against the floor. Everyone was silent as Ellis stood up and picked up his chair, rubbing the back of his head. Then Nick slammed his fist into the table and burst out laughing. Ellis glared at him. Rochelle giggled and Coach's booming laughter joined them. I couldn't help but smile. Ellis rolled his eyes and grinned at me before heading over to a table full of guns, ignoring the others laughter. Nick eventually got tired of laughing, he wiped the tears from his eyes and lit a cigarette. I was glad when Ellis handed me back my pistols, I didn't feel right without them. Nick picked up a shotgun, Rochelle a rifle, Coach a chainsaw, Ellis an axe and armed with my pistols I kicked open the door. It was light outside, making my eyes sting. I couldn't remember the last time I saw sunlight. I was raining lightly but the clouds were clear so it didn't look like we were having a repeat of yesterday's weather. A few zombies spotted us outside and ran aimlessly towards us but once I stuck a few bullets in them, they fell to the floor.

"Cool" Ellis muttered behind me "Now watch this!" He headed over to a zombie and with one sharp swing of his axe, decapitated it, blood spraying over his shirt. He laughed childishly. I felt rather childish myself as I pulled out a second pistol and smacked a nearby infected in the chin before pulling the trigger on it's brain.

"Ok enough of this crap!" Nick yelled, throwing his hands in the air as he walked ahead, almost as if he were talking to himself "Let's just hurry up and get the hell out of here!" We headed along the narrow, cobbled streets that lead us to more and more empty houses. The windows were boarded up and cars were scattered across the streets like a handful of pins. Although it was bright out today, it was cold. The cold air managed to find a way under my jacket and made me shiver uncontrollably. Ellis seemed to be feeling the cold too as his arms were now covered in goose bumps, however he seemed to either forget or ignore the blue hoodie tied around his waist. Infected broke the silence of the morning as they ran out in groups from the small alleyways. Killing them was easy, I was used to it now. I stared into the back of Nick's white suit, remembering when I first encountered infected. I remember coming home from my cheap flat and finding both my parents wandering aimlessly around our living room, our baby pictures smashed over the floor. I remember the way they ran towards me but not in the loving embrace I knew and loved. I remember telling them I was sorry before grabbing my dad's pistols from the back of the cupboard were he hid them and shooting them point blank in the chest. My brother was already dead on the kitchen table but he didn't die infected, I suspected either mum or dad had killed him. As I wandered aimlessly behind the others a sudden yell from Coach brought me back to my senses.

"Look out!" He shouted but I couldn't tell where he was. Then a pair of strong hands pulled me back at the same moment a pile of green acid began burning through where my feet had been. I suspected it was Ellis that had pulled me back but when I saw him standing beside me I realised it couldn't have been him.

"That was close" Nick muttered behind me, taking his hands off my waist and standing beside me. Ellis glared at him.

"W-What was that?" I choked, unfamiliar with the substance and more importantly where it had come from.

"A Spitter" Nick explained, taking a few steps back "You never seen one?" I shook my head. Nick looked a little surprised "You know, big, long necked bitches? Pigtails? Looks a lot like Ellis's mom?"

"That's not funny man" Ellis muttered, still glaring at Nick, his eyes occasionally darting to my waist.

"Well they spit out this acid shit and boy does it burn" Nick muttered before he chuckled "Look what it did to Ellis's face here." He gestured towards Ellis. Ellis punched him playfully on the arm as Nick continued to laugh. We continued up the streets until we found a run down bar, the windows not boarded up but smashed. It reminded me an awful lot of Francis, seeing the over turned tables and smashed bottles. We headed upstairs were several pool tables were spread out across the room. Coach laid out a map on one as he and Rochelle began planning our next move. The rain was starting to stop outside but the chill didn't change. I leaned against the wall and sighed, sliding down to rest my head on my knees. Nick stared ideally out of the broken window and Ellis muttered something to himself before holding his head and sitting next to me. With his arm pressed against mine I felt it to be a lot warmer than I was at least.

"Hey I can see a saferoom just over there" Nick pointed out, squinting against the light.

"Well that's where were headed for now" Rochelle said, turning to face us. Coach wandered over to the window to see the saferoom for himself. "Hopefully there should be some food in their, if not we'll have to leave early." Ellis and I heaved ourselves up before heading back outside into the cold again. At the bottom of the stairs I heard a familiar gurgling sound and immediately grabbed my pistols from my pockets. I looked back to find a boomer waddling down the stairs. I ran back to the doorway and as I saw it begin to gag I blasted with my gun, showering guts over the nearby walls.

"Nice shot" Coach grinned, before we all headed back out into the cold. Eventually we saw the light of the saferoom up ahead. I tried not to think of where I had seen it before, the light of the saferoom looking like it was in reaching distance. Ellis ran ahead of us but before Nick could warn him to stay together a roar echoed from around the shaky brick walls. A big thing in dungarees with a giant arm charged at him and grabbed Ellis, carrying him off.

"Ellis!" I screamed, running in the direction the big arm thing had taken him. The others followed closely behind him and as we turned the corner, we saw the thing smashing Ellis into the concrete.

"Agghh" Ellis screamed "Get this thing off of me! It's crushing me!" Nick managed to shove the thing off him, killing it with a strong blow of the shot gun but by that time Ellis's body was laying limp on the floor. Coach leaned down and pressed his ear to Ellis's chest.

"He's breathing" Coach nodded before heaving Ellis over his shoulder, leaving his axe behind. Nick was still standing beside me but I barely noticed. I was speechless, I couldn't bring myself to remember what had just happened.

"Ellis" I murmured, unable to hear my own voice.

"Come on" I heard Nick's firm voice behind me. He pulled my arm, willing me to move "He's fine, he'll be ok." I followed after Coach, desperately wanting to see Ellis, wanting to see his goofy grin and his burning blush. The saferoom was in a big building that looked like it was offices once. However the saferoom itself was particularly small but it had two rooms upstairs in which Coach carried Ellis up into. I didn't go up at first, I just laid on the floor, not moving, not saying a thing. Nick was sitting on a worn down armchair in the corner, lighting a cigarette whilst Rochelle was poking around in the fridge. Rochelle placed a bowl of something next to me and in the background I could see Nick digging in greedily but I didn't touch it. I didn't want to eat, I didn't want to do anything. I knew it was stupid of me but I didn't want to do anything but see Ellis. Rochelle and Coach moved up and down the stairs carrying health kits and pain pills. It was dark by the time they had finished. Nick had fallen asleep in his chair and Coach was fast asleep in a sleeping bag on the floor. I was in the same position, the cold drafts sending me into near spasms. I hadn't seen Rochelle come down the stairs but I felt a hand press against my back.

"You can see him" She whispered "He's better now. Don't worry about him" Her hand rubbed small circles on my back before she took my bowl into the kitchen and headed upstairs into the spare room, carrying a sleeping bag of her own. I sighed shakily and forced my muscles to move. Once I had managed to pick myself up off the floor, I headed upstairs to see Ellis, forgetting my sleeping bag Rochelle had laid out neatly for me. I opened the door carefully and peeked through, not wanting to disturb him if he was sleeping. But he was wide awake, staring solemnly out of the boarded window. He was wrapped in a sleeping bag and I could faintly see bandages around his neck. It was dark with just the moon giving an eerie glow over the room, letting shadows build in the corners. Ellis didn't seem to have noticed me yet. He sighed heavily and, as his eyes wandered aimlessly around the room he noticed me.

"Zoey" He croaked, a huge smile spreading across his face. I smiled weakly and entered the room fully, closing the door gently behind me.

"Are you feeling better?" I whispered, kneeling beside him, my hands on my thighs.

"Yeah" Ellis chuckled but I saw him wince as he did "I'm fine"

"What was that thing that got you Ellis?" I asked, moving over to sit by his head.

"A charger" He said glumly, leaning his head on the wooden floor so he no longer had to support himself as he sat up "They, well they did what you saw. Grab ya n' smash ya into the floor. You never seen one?" I shook my head. He moaned.

"Does it hurt?" I asked. He nodded. I took off his trucker cap and placed it beside me before running my fingers through his caramel hair. It wouldn't help with the pain but it seemed to sooth him. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. His hair was wispy, still slightly damp from this morning. I ran my hand over his forehead and back through his hair. He was incredibly warm. As I continued to stroke through his thick hair he moaned quietly. It sent a shiver through my body but I told myself it was because of the cold. Ellis seemed to be dozing off now, his face becoming more relaxed, his hands uncurled from over his head. I smiled warmly but the smile didn't stay on my face for long. Another cold draft blew through the large gaps in the window and as Ellis seemed unaffected by it, it sent another shiver through me. I leaned against the wall and exhaled shakily. I was still fully dressed, my jumper zipped up tightly, my sneakers still laced up yet it saw no affect on the cold. I considered heading downstairs to my own sleeping bag but part of me felt a need to stay with Ellis. He looked fast asleep now, his pink lips parted slightly surrounded by his light stubble. Without thinking I swiftly unzipped his sleeping bag and slid in next to him. But just as my mind realised this was a mistake I felt Ellis's warmth and couldn't resist. It seemed to be radiating from all sides of him. I zipped up the sleeping bag again and leaned my head in to his chest, placing my hand over his heart. As I slowly began to slip into the familiar unconsciousness I felt Ellis stir above me. I froze and skipped a heartbeat. Ellis drew back for a second, a little disorientated, before unexpectedly pulling me into his chest, his arms wrapping around my waist.

"Your cold darlin" He whispered, his voice soft. As he spoke, his throat hummed against me soothingly. I sighed heavily, sinking into his warmth. He leaned his cheek on the top of my head. I kicked off my sneakers and draped one leg lazily over his. He gasped quietly against my head before moaning softly. I shivered again but I was no longer cold. Ellis seemed to feel this and held me closer, his arms tighter around me, his warmth embedding me in a hazy bliss. I snuggled closer to him and inhaled deeply, recognizing his musky, soft wood smell from the towel he had given me this morning. It mixed in with the warmth, creating a comfortable, small paradise. I could feel the heat burning through into my muscles, rebuilding their strength. Experimentally, to see if he had fallen asleep again, I ran a finger smoothly down his flat stomach. He moaned lightly before leaning his head down and capturing my lips. I felt hesitant at first but his lips soon melted into mine. His tongue was soft as it ran smoothly along my bottom lip, making me moan in his mouth. His arms tightened around me, pressing me fully against him. His hands pushed up my jacket and thin tank top and began running effortlessly up and down my back. I sighed heavily and reached a hand up to touch the curve of his cheek without breaking the kiss. He drew back his breathing ragged but then he smiled at me and tucked the loose strands of hair behind my ears, his hands now left my back. I leaned my head back into his chest and sighed happily, darkness now creeping over me.

"Ellis" I sighed before sleep took over me, taking me away but somehow still keeping me in Ellis's arms.

Epilogue 

NPOV

I stared hazily at the peeling wallpaper, waiting for sleep to overtake me. But no matter how hard I tried, I was still wide awake. The worn down armchair I sat in was extremely uncomfortable, I could feel the springs poking into me. I began to pull out a cigarette but hastily put it back. I was only doing it out of habit, I didn't feel like a cigarette now. I sighed and glanced at Coach who slept soundlessly on the floor in a damp sleeping bag. I managed to heave myself up out of the old chair and wandered around aimlessly, out of pure boredom. I poked around in the fridge until I found a half bottle of booze at the back. I didn't care if one of those smokers had drunken out of this, booze was booze. I took a swig and sighed happily. I didn't no how long it was since I'd had good, proper booze not that cheap piss-warm crap Ellis had found. I headed lazily up the stairs and opened one of the doors. Rochelle was fast asleep, facing away from me. I felt kinda bad for her really, I mean she could've got a nice guy before this zombie apocalypse not us freaks. I bet she'd never even looked at a hic like Ellis before. But I realised that Zoey was meant to be sleeping in that room with her. I glanced back down the stairs. She wasn't were I'd seen her last, she wasn't downstairs at all. I noticed Ellis's door slightly open and peeked in. Ellis was facing me but he didn't see me. His eyes were focused on Zoey, who was curled up to him in his sleeping bag.

"Ellis" She sighed, leaning in closer to him. Ellis smiled warmly before laying down on his back and lifting Zoey gently onto his chest. I turned away then and exhaled raggedly, my eyes stinging. I took another swig of booze and headed back down to the old arm chair. It wasn't that uncomfortable really.


	4. What Nick did for us

Chapter 4 What Nick did for us

'_I'd thought I'd lost you when you ran away to try and find me. I thought I'd never see your sweet face again.'_

I felt myself awaken from my slumber however I did not open my eyes. I wanted to enjoy the moment. Ellis must have pulled me onto his chest because I was now lying fully flat. I wondered if Ellis was awake as I innocently arched my back. It was unknown to me that my groin was pressed up against Ellis's and by arching my back I had pushed myself gently up against him. He moaned quietly, he was awake. His head was just a little higher than mine, his arms wrapped around my waist. Surprised with Ellis's bold reaction, although debating whether he knew I was awake or not, I decided to push myself against him again. I was somehow fascinated that, when I did exactly the same he moaned again, a little louder. I kept my eyes shut as I gently shifted my weight upwards and the back again rubbing myself against him with more force but still looking as if I was simply dreaming. As if on cue, Ellis moaned again and I could feel himself throwing his head back. A slight bulge pressed against me now, making me gasp quietly. I found it quite funny how we could amuse ourselves like this, even when Ellis thought I was asleep. I felt him lift his head back up and pull himself back before pulling me up his chest again. It seemed the sleeping bag was closer to the wall now and, judging by how relaxed Ellis was, he seemed to be leaning against it. I was still lying on his chest, still groin to groin. I thought the feeling would make me feel uncomfortable but I felt completely opposite. I felt him lean close to me, his breath tickling my cheek.

"Zoey?" He whispered, probably checking to see if I was awake. I remained silent. He chuckled lightly before kissing just below my earlobe, making my thighs tingle. He wrapped his arms more tightly around me, one hand stroking my back soothingly. It seemed, despite the zombie apocalypse he was more than willing to let me sleep. I could hear heavy rain outside and feel a few drops on my hand that clenched Ellis's shirt. It seemed like the weather we had had before and so it seemed likely that we would not be leaving the saferoom today. I sighed happily, I didn't feel like fighting zombies today, for once. Ellis hesitantly rested one hand on the inside of my thigh and then began to plant kissed along my jaw line and down my neck. I shivered as I felt my legs clench tightly. It seemed that was what Ellis had been waiting for. I couldn't tell what his expression was as he made no noise but the bulge that pressed up against me was somehow more dominant than before, larger none the less. I felt a kiss placed at the very corner of my lips which fell open at the touch. It was getting harder and harder to pretend to be asleep but I knew if I 'woke up' I would get carried away. I heard someone shout something from downstairs, Ellis's heart against my ear drowning the noise. "Zoey" Ellis whispered, gathering my hands together in his "C'mon sweetheart we gotta get up now." He dropped my hands lightly on his chest before moving his hands to my hips and running them all the way up to my ribs, making me gasp his name far to quiet for him to hear, before picking me up like a rag doll and cradling me like one. I lazily opened one eye to find him gazing down at me like a father would at his newborn child. He chuckled and kissed my forehead.

"Let's go" He whispered to me, standing up swiftly and placing me on my own two feet. He steadied me, with his hands around my waist, before I was able to see more but blur. I shook my head lightly and looked out of the window.

"But it's raining" I complained, still groggy with sleep. Ellis chuckled.

"Only a little now" He said, his voice still a whisper "We gotta go now or we ain't gonna make it to New Orleans." Once I found it in me to move my legs again we headed downstairs to find Coach and Rochelle once again leaning over a map, eating what appeared to be a bowl scrambled eggs. Nick was still fast asleep in the old armchair, a bottle of alcohol still in his hand. He had dark, purple rings under his eyes as if he hadn't slept well.

"Good morning" Rochelle sang cheerfully, handing us both a bowl.

"Someone's cheery this morning" Ellis laughed, filling his bowl from a big pan on the stove.

"Well were nearly half way there" She grinned, pointing back to the map. I smiled but on the inside I was a little upset. When we got there we'd be safe but what about Francis and Louis? Ellis interrupted my thoughts by handing me my bowl back which he must have taken out of my hands to fill up. I ate the eggs quickly, not realising how long it had been since I had eaten. Nick managed to get himself up and glanced wearily at Ellis and then searched the room with his eyes until they rested on me. He sighed heavily, dropping the bottle with a thump on the floor and placing his hand on his forehead. He seemed a little upset this morning, more upset than usual but none the less he got up and grabbed himself a loaded shot gun for the day. I tied my matted hair back into a ponytail, grabbed my pistols and we were ready to go. It was still raining outside but not as heavy as it sounded when I had first woken up. Zombies wandered mindlessly around the empty streets, some hitting each other, some burning their arms in the lit trash cans and some simply being, well, zombie-ish. Nick stayed behind us most of the time today, he didn't go ahead like he usually did. Coach eyes him suspiciously but continued on up ahead with us. We headed up into a huge block of flats that reminded me of the days where I would sit alone in the dark watching bad movies instead of studying. At that rate, I was never going to be a film director. I don't think I could've even lived up to dad's expectations of me following in his footsteps and becoming a cop. I laughed lightly to myself as I remembered Francis saying how he hated cops and doctors and lawyers and just about everything. We headed through the flats and managed to squeeze through a gap in which a van had crashed into the thin, plaster wall. There were a lot of zombies today, a lot more than usual. The rain was becoming so heavy that I had to squint to see a 3ft in front of me. The rest finally agreed that it was going to be impossible carrying on through this rain so we found a broken down store full of empty shelves and camped out in the backroom, having at least two people awake at a time. Ellis and I offered to go first. Nick scowled but sighed to himself again. I expected him to light a cigarette but he didn't. It was unusual for him, he hadn't had a cigarette all day. But Nick managed to settle down and fall asleep along with Coach and Rochelle. Ellis and I leaned against the doorframe, looking outside at the heavy rain that sounded almost peaceful. I sat in-between his legs, his arms wrapped around my waist and we commented on the rain and laughed when zombies slipped over in the deep puddles. I leaned my head back against Ellis's chest and closed my eyes. I had given into myself. I had warned myself not to get too intimate with these strangers and willed myself to find Francis and Louis again. But these strangers were like family to me now and Ellis was my ray of sun. Ellis kissed my forehead and rested his cheek on the top of my head. As we sat there silently, with nothing needed to be said Nick woke up rather quickly and said that he'd be on guard now so that Ellis could sleep. Ellis was hesitant but his eyes drooped and he was asleep in no time. Nick sat next to me, his hands wrapped around his knees like mine. He laughed quietly beside me.

"It's pissing it down" He muttered, a grin still on his face.

"Yeah" I smiled. It was the first proper time we ever talked properly together. He told me about his life as a con-man, moving from state to state to try get as much money out of people as he could. I told him about my dream to be a movie director but skipping lessons and staying in a crappy flat watching old horror movies. Then I'd returned home to find my mother and father zombies, my brother already dead. Nick said he felt sorry for me when I told him how'd I had to shoot them with a last shaky 'I love you.' I told him of the times Bill, Francis, Louis and I had and where they came from. Nick listened the whole time, understandingly, nodding now and again. Half an hour passed quickly and soon it was time for Coach and Rochelle's turn to watch but I couldn't sleep so I said I'd keep guard alone for a while. Talking of my fellow friends made a lump rise in my throat and tears well up in my eyes. Nick sighed heavily. He could see the I was upset although I tried hard not to show it.

"I'm sorry Zoey" He whispered, laying his head on his suit jacket he had scrunched up for a pillow "We'll get you out of this shit." It was the last thing I expected to hear from Nick. But as I turned to face him he was already fast asleep. I shook my head and continued looking into the rain, letting the sound overtake my fragile mind, as if I was letting all my memories seep out in front of me and into the deep puddles. I leaned myself against the door way and sighed. The front door, or what was left of it, was quite far away from me but I could still faintly feel rain on my face. It was cold, almost refreshing in a way, against my hot skin. From what I could see of the sky, it was getting a lot darker, maybe it was going to thunderstorm. As I stared outside at the rain it seemed I had been right. A loud clap of thunder roared above me, sending the few zombies left on the streets running around trying to find the noise. I chuckled quietly to myself. I felt hands around me as more thunder sounded, making me jump. It was Ellis, just as I suspected. I hadn't realised how long I'd been sitting here, absorbed in the rain.

"You gotta sleep now darlin" he whispered "I'll take over." I yawned. I probably should have slept earlier. I stood up slowly and stretched before heading over to the corner next to were Nick slept soundly. I hadn't realised how tired I was and as I rested my head on the hard floor I felt sleep overtake me. The last thing I saw was Ellis leaning against the door frame, exactly were I had been sitting. He smiled at me before my eye lids snapped shut and my mind began to wander.

I didn't know how long I'd slept but it didn't seem long. Then again, I could sleep for 3 days and it wouldn't seem long. There are many things I'd be happy to wake up to, for example Ellis's voice, an ice cream truck or some punk/rock music. Crying is not one of them, especially when It's not human. I opened my eyes quickly to find myself cradled in Ellis's arms, who was staring at something ahead of him. I knew what it was, but I looked anyway. A witch was curled up into a ball, her hands wrapped around her knees. I would have been unaffected by her had she not been sitting barely half a metre away from us, right in front of the door. Fuck. We were in the corner of the room that everyone had been fast asleep in, the door now closed. The others were no-where in sight. Ellis's arms where wrapped tightly around me, his breathing ragged and slow. The witch lifted her head up and my breathing stopped. But instead of attacking like I expected her too she simply stood up shakily and began wandering around the room, still crying into her hands. I looked back to Ellis, now looking down at me. I willed my lips to say something.

"Ah, Ellis, I'm scared" I whispered, leaning my head into his chest. I dealt with witches before, but not moving ones, let alone one blocking the door. One false move, one tiny noise and she'd probably kill us both. We didn't have our guns on us and I didn't know where the others were.

"I know" He whispered, leaning his forehead against mine and closing his eyes, his shaky breath washing over me "I am too." The witch continued to moan and cry whilst walking around the room. She turned around from the way she was walking and headed towards us. I gasped quietly, cringing further into Ellis's chest, feeling my heart hammer against my chest. But she sat down in the same spot she'd been in a burst out crying again. Ellis cussed under his breath. I think he figured if she was far away enough we could sneak out the door. When I truly thought we were gonna be stuck here or ripped to shreds by the damn witch I heard a voice outside, like finding an oasis in the desert.

"Shit. Sounds like my ex wife" I heard Nick's harsh tone close now. The door kicked open, spilling light into the room. The witch moaned loudly.

"Hey bitch" Nick shouted, stood in the doorway. The witch looked up in surprise before receiving a shot gun blast to the face. She screamed loudly before running out of the door. Ellis and I didn't dare move, or even breathe. We just sat silently, thinking of what had just happened. It took Nick's sudden screaming outside to get us to move. Rochelle and Coach were shooting at the witch who was clawing Nick on the floor, pooling blood beneath him. I finally managed to piece together what had happened. Nick, Coach and Rochelle had gone to get something like food and left Ellis to look after me. Then the witch had wandered in there and sat herself down, left with me sleeping in Ellis's arms and Ellis wondering what the hell to do. Ellis had grabbed a nearby gun and finished off the witch but I wasn't able to move. Nick was panting on the floor, his suit now covered in tares and blood. He managed to get up but he didn't look sturdy.

"Thanks man" Ellis grinned, patting Nick lightly on the back "Took one for the team, that's a real man" Nick smiled weakly.

"There's a safe room just round here" Coach pointed, heading around the back of the old store "We passed it when we were finding food." Ah, so it was food they were finding. Figures. We followed Coach, Ellis staying behind a little with Nick who was limping. We finally reached the big, bolted door of the saferoom and I sighed happily. I wasn't that far away from the store really, only through a few alleyways. We headed inside before Ellis dropped back onto the couch and fell asleep almost straight away. Nick ignored our help and simply grabbed a first aid kit before heading into one of the small bedrooms. I sighed heavily and went to lay down next to Ellis, tucking myself under his arm. He moaned softly. Nick was in their a long while, he missed Coach's dinner of some type of meat stew thing. It wasn't bad. Rochelle headed for the shower and Coach began planning more routes on the map. I sat up carefully, not wanting to disturb Ellis and headed over to Nicks door. I peeked in, just to see if he was still sleeping. But he was sitting up against the wall, with blood no longer on his shirt. He seemed to be singing lightly to himself and from the sound of it, it wasn't half bad.

"Knock Knock" I whispered, smiling as I tapped lightly on his door. Nick turned to me and smiled. I closed the door behind me and went to sit up against the wall next to him.

"Hey Zoey" He muttered, a smile still on his face.

"Nick, why did you do it?" I asked blankly. Nick sighed.

"Well you know" He said awkwardly, looking up at the ceiling "I like Ellis." I rolled my eyes.

"Nick, I don't think that's why you did it. You would have been happy to have shot her and closed to door." I pointed out.

"Yeah" Nick laughed quietly.

"Then why did you do it?" I asked again. Nick sighed. I don't think anyone was prepared for what he did next. One minute Nick was staring at the ceiling, the next he had pulled my lips to his and moaned. It was honestly the last thing I expected. I went to pull away, to tell him it was wrong but he lips crumbled mine and I simply couldn't refuse. I felt his hands gently cradle my face as he moved himself closer to me. His lips were different to Ellis's, they were cold and rough but so sweet, as if they had been recently glazed with thick honey. His mouth didn't taste like cigarettes like I had expected it to but then I remembered that he hadn't had a cigarette today. Maybe he _was _expecting this after all. I hadn't realised that he was now sitting in front of me, pressing my back against the wall. I had been so lost in my thoughts. While one hand stayed on my face the other glided down to wrap around, under my top, on my bare waist. My head spun. I knew this was wrong but once I thought about it I realised that Ellis and I weren't properly together, we had just made out once, like this. This was a zombie apocalypse. Francis and Louis had left me behind and even If I caught up with them again, I couldn't leave my new friends. My new family. But I was with probably the last men alive here, minus the ones in military. The earth wasn't going to repopulate itself. I shivered against Nick, a small sigh escaping my lips against his mouth. I pulled away, letting myself breathe and my heart rate decease in speed. But Nick pressed his lips to my neck.

"Your in love with me to you know" He whispered against my ear, his voice rough "You just don't know it yet." Maybe I didn't know it yet. But now I had a choice to make.

Nick or Ellis?


	5. Submission

'_Lips like liquorice, tongue like candy. Excuse me miss but could I get you out your panties? She won't ever get enough, once she's had a little touch…'_

"I can't Nick, I can't" I gasped "I can't." He pulled away from me, his hands still around my waist. He stared at me, his eyes burning. He didn't say anything, he just looked down and sighed. I wasn't quite sure what he was doing, I expected him to pull away completely and apologise. But I didn't quite know what he was doing, he just continued to stare down. When I looked at him I actually felt kinda sorry for him. This was the only kiss he'd known in years, he'd never had anyone else before. I guess he wanted me to feel sorry for him because in the end I pulled my lips back to his. I felt him smile against my lips before opening his mouth to deepen the kiss, his honey tongue overpowering me. As he did, I thought about how much it would Ellis if he saw this. And as my fingers knotted in Nick's coal black hair I felt a twinge of guilt in the pit of my stomach. This was wrong. But was it? I couldn't honestly say that I loved Ellis and I couldn't say the same about Nick either. I didn't know what it was, but it wasn't love. Not yet. Like with Francis, it wasn't love it was…very good friendship. I pulled away from Nick and closed my eyes. Nick chuckled before turning to his spot against the wall and closing his eyes. There was a faint knock at the door and I was glad Nick pulled away when he did. The familiar trucker cap and caramel hair peeked round the door and suddenly I was very glad that Nick had pulled away when he did.

"Hey Nick" Ellis whispered but Nick was pretending to sleep. Ellis chuckled. "Zoey, come on hun, let him sleep" Part of me didn't want to leave but I let Ellis pull me up none the less. As he wrapped his arm around my waist and lead me out of the door, I peeked over my shoulder just in time to see Nick smiling at me before he turned his attention back to the plaster wall. I sighed heavily, feeling my eyes tear. Ellis leaned his head into my shoulder as we headed out of the room. As I lolled on the couch, Nick emerged from his room with a grin on his face. I rolled my eyes, the tears fading as I smiled. Rochelle and Coach were huddled around the map, no surprises there. Nick sat in an armchair and Ellis on the floor next to him. I sprawled across the couch on my stomach, waving my legs in the air and rocking my head from side to side. Ellis smiled. He liked to see me happy. I yawned and rolled over onto my back. I opened my legs slightly and sighed, leaning my head back. I moaned. I had a stomach ache, I think it may have been the guilt I felt. Ellis and Nick took this the wrong way because I could feel them staring at me. However every time I looked, they hastily returned their eyes to the wall or the ceiling. I giggled and pressed my face into the rough fabric of the couch. I heard one of them sigh, I couldn't tell which one of them it was though. I rolled my eyes. I yawned again and rolled back to face the boys. Nick was already fast asleep in his armchair, Ellis simply staring at me. I don't think he'd realised he was staring because he didn't react when I looked at him. Ellis finally realised he was staring before blushing and looking away. I yawned again.

"Getting tired?" Ellis laughed. He came over to me and lifted me up on my feet like a child. I leaned into him, my legs failing on me. I hadn't realised how tired I was, I guess I hadn't slept long before. I managed to stand myself and headed upstairs. I couldn't see Coach or Rochelle anymore, maybe they had gone upstairs too. I headed into the tiny room, untied my hair and crawled into the sleeping bag. I closed my eyes and just as I expected I felt the sleeping bag unzip and a warm body crawl in next to me. Ellis's breath tickled the back of my neck and I sighed. I rolled over and pressed myself against him. I shivered and suddenly I didn't feel tired anymore. The shiver seemed to go through me and straight into Ellis. He rolled me over so I was below him, but he shifted his weight so I wasn't crushed. Ellis leaned down and captured my lips, his kiss now more bolder than the last. My hands began to knot in his caramel hair, his truck hat slipping from his head. While one held the weight of my head, the other swiftly unzipped my jacket. I gasped and arched my back as his hand began to wander under my tank top while he kissed my neck. He returned his lips to mine with a moan, his hand lightly cupping my breast beneath my shirt. After kissing Nick, his lips seemed somehow warmer but not nearly as sweet. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, no doubt his was the same. I remembered the first time I'd 'done it', not that I was thinking of that happening. It was with my first proper boyfriend, Seth, when I was just 16. We were in my flat late one night, we'd only been dating for a few weeks. But one thing lead to another and before I knew it, I'd woken up naked on my sofa thinking of the mistake I'd made. But this with Ellis, this didn't seem like a mistake. I hadn't realised what I'd been doing while my mind was wandering until I found myself clawing at Ellis's jeans. I pulled away to life his shirt over his head before he pressed his lips back to mine, placing his hands back where they were, one cradling my head, the other snaking back up my shirt. His lips became more urgent against mine, a slight bulge pressing into my pants. He slipped my tank top over my head, revealing the blue lace bra set I'd put on the last time I was home, before I had to leave. But this was a zombie apocalypse, there really wasn't any time to choose underwear. However I'd been glad I'd worn this one. Ellis moaned and pressed his lips to my chest, running his tongue up to my neck. I shivered and my groin pounded against him, as if it had a heart of it's own. He breathed a lustful sigh on my neck and began to kiss me again. I finally managed to undo Ellis's belt and slid his baggy jeans down his legs. I managed to glance just quick enough to see he was wearing grey boxers, a bulge in the middle. I honestly didn't mean to go this far but the less noble side of me was winning. The sleeping bag was becoming hot now making Ellis's touch less warm, but a thrill none the less. He began to un-buckle my belt, making in-between my legs even damper. He managed to successfully pull my pants down, my underwear the same blue lace as my bra but with a bow on the side which I liked. His hand began to play with the lining of panties as I was almost panting against his.

"Ellis" I moaned, arching my back again. His tongue continued to delve into my mouth hungrily, my moans and sighs fuelling his flames. My mind was swimming and I wasn't able to think straight, or responsibly. My mother had taught me well and would skin me alive if she saw me doing these type of things with a 23 year old mechanic from Savannah. But I tried not to think about it, not think about mom or anything but Ellis. His hands were silk over my skin, trailing from my ribs down the curve of my hips. He pulled away slightly from me, his lips pressed to the corner of my lips. He was gasping as he began to pull my panties down my thighs. His hands were velvet against my skin and he seemed to be a natural at this. He ran his tongue over my breasts and up my neck to my lips. He pulled himself up fully on top of me, so that we were level. My hands were shaking, unknown to me whether it was nerves or excitement, as I began to pull his boxers down his legs. He pressed his lips to mine and I could feel him nestled at my entrance. He moaned into my mouth, his lips moving hungrily against mine. He pulled away from me slightly and, as I opened my eyes, I found him staring into mine. Although he seemed nervous an exhilarating smile spread across his face, his eyes lit. I simply closed my eyes again and arched my back against him, his hands sliding down from my back to cradle the curve of my hips. I opened my eyes again. He was looking at me, he seemed eager but wanted to see I was ready, a gentleman even now.

"Zoey" He panted but he didn't seem able to finish his sentence. I knew what he was going to say. I nudged my hips against him impatiently and bit my lip. I heard Ellis chuckle against my throat before thrusting harshly against me, burying himself deep inside me. I gasped loudly, overwhelmed by slight pain but mostly pleasure. I couldn't hear Ellis's reaction but I could feel him shake above me. Ellis pulled back, only to thrust firmly into me again, moaning as he did. I felt my eyes roll back into my head and my hands weave through Ellis's hair, gripping tightly. Ellis panted as he kissed my neck, gripping my hips tightly as he continued to thrust into me, slowly increasing speed.

"Ah, Ellis" I moaned, throwing my head back against the hard, wooden floor, the pain unnoticeable. I moved my hands from his hair to grip the fabric of the sleeping bag as I rocked forcefully with Ellis's thrusts. He groaned loudly, his hands now pulling myself harder against him. My wispy, light black hair curled innocently around my neck as I lifted my head back to bring Ellis's lips to mine. He panted uncontrollably against my mouth and continued to thrust himself further inside me, my walls tight around him. My hands gripped the fabric of the sleeping bag and tried to clear my head in order to think straight. Was this the right thing to do? Was this too soon? As these questions swelled up in my mind, I could feel my body pulsing. I arched my back against Ellis's warm skin, his arms pulling me closer to him. I could feel my climax closing in on me and Ellis knew it. His speed slowed but his thrusts became more powerful against me, his low moans filled the hollow of my throat.

"Zoey" Ellis whispered, his lips brushing against my porcelain skin.

"Ah, Ellis" I moaned, throwing my head back "Ellis, I'm gonna…" I couldn't finish. Ellis gasped raggedly above me and began planting kisses along my neck, his tongue running smoothly over my skin. I could feel myself shaking underneath him and I screamed his name at my release. I threw my head back onto the wooden floor, my breath coming out in quick gasps. I felt Ellis's body shake and follow almost straight after me, filling me with short, thick spurts. My tiredness from earlier began to overwhelm me and my eyes began to droop. I was still panting and I could feel Ellis breathing heavily above me. He was looking at me, his eyes wide before bursting into a breath taking smile. I smiled weakly back but I began to feel myself being pulled away from Ellis, though our bodies were still connected. But no matter how much I tried to stay awake, I felt myself falling asleep to kisses along my throat.

'_On your knees, you'll pray for me. Promise this, be the last to kiss my lips.'_

I wasn't quite aware of when I regained consciousness but I found myself aware of the room, although I was still thick with sleep. I could feel a cold chill that glided across my right cheek, although the other was pressed up to something warm. I rose and fell effortlessly along with Ellis's chest, his breathing faster than my own. It had changed so, now, It was Ellis underneath me. I could feel a hand pressed on my back, through a thin fabric. One of my hands was curled up into a fist and the other was held by another, warmer hand. The lower half of my body felt like jelly and the back of my head throbbed slightly but it was not an unpleasant feeling. I sighed heavily, peacefully, not wanting to change a thing about this moment. However despite my feelings, I opened an eye, curious to what had changed from late last night. My opened eye met the side of the sleeping bag, a dull red colour. Ellis seemed unaware of my awaken, I was resting a lot further down then I had though. My eye darted to my hand wrapped in Ellis's , sitting ideally on his thigh. It seemed he had managed to pull on his jeans before falling asleep, unlike me. However I noticed I was wrapped in my pink jacket and Ellis's shirt was draped over me like a blanket. It was warm and soft and comforting. I stretched my arm carefully, feeling like the bone had been detached at the joint.

"Zoey?" Ellis whispered, his voice soft and familiar. His thumb stroked the back of my hand delicately. I closed my eyes tighter and sighed heavily. Ellis pulled me further up his chest until his lips were able to press against my forehead. I hid my face into his neck and inhaled the sweet musky scent. He ran his fingers through my hair and sighed to himself. I pulled myself closer to him, to his warmth. Memories from last night flooded my mind, sending shivers through me.

"Zoey?" Ellis whispered again "Zoey, sweetheart?" He sat up carefully and cradled me. I opened my eyes to find him smiling at me.

"Ellis" I smiled back, leaning my head against him. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine, sighing raggedly.

"Zoey" He said quietly, his voice low and uneven "about, last night." I froze, my heart pounding.

"I'm, I'm sorry Ellis" I said quickly.

"No, no it's not that" He laughed gently, shaking his head. I sighed in relief, my worry fading. "You, you were…" He shook his head again and opened his eyes. He seemed lost for words. I simply gazed at him, waiting for him to finish the sentence. He laughed again, a nervous laugh. He didn't finish. "Let's get going" He said quickly, grinning. He handed me a small pile that was sitting next to him, which I instantly recognised as the rest of my clothes. "I'll let you change" He whispered, kissing my forehead before standing me up with him. He smiled and headed out of the door. I sighed heavily and stared out of the boarded window, wrapped in just my jacket and Ellis's shirt. I dressed quickly and headed downstairs to find everybody sitting on the couch, eating something out of plastic bowls. Nick gave me a weary look and, for a second, I thought he'd knew what had happened last night. Just as I was about to panic and try to explain, Nick simply grinned at me and handed me a bowl. I sighed in relief but I placed the bowl on the side, I wasn't hungry. I handed Ellis his shirt, to which he smiled and pulled it over his bare chest.

"Where are we going?" I asked weakly, sitting opposite the others. Coach finished chewing his mouthful of food before he spoke.

"Headed down the river way" Coach said, spooning another mouthful. Well, that helped a little. We gathered our things and, armed with my precious pistols, we headed out of the door. It was freezing outside, the cold making it's way through my thin jacket. I shivered and shook my head in an attempt to shake off the cold. My breath swirled out in front of me and just inhaling felt slightly painful. The familiar sights of small towns, deserted and wrecked, were beginning to thin, a thick forest lurked in the distance. There was a murky fog that lingered just above the floor, and it reminded me of walking on a cloud. Nick pulled his suit jacket around him tighter and headed out into the cobbled streets. I followed after him, Ellis and the others behind me. It was quiet, not a zombie in sight.

"Where are they?" I heard Nick mutter under his breath. We weaved our way through the small alleyways between the houses to a, once busy, road. The road acted as a small bridge across a huge river. There were many empty cars scattered across the highway, some of them upside down or laying or their sides.

"Hey look" I heard Ellis cry, going up to a worn down looking truck. Apart from it's broken window on the drivers side, it looked in pretty good shape, compared to some of the other cars surrounding it.

"Aw this was just like my truck" Ellis smiled, checking it over. He leaned in the broken window and tried to unlock the door, only to be met by a deafening alarm.

"God dammit, Ellis!" Nick shouted over the noise. I winced and pulled my pistols from my pocket, seeing the horde of zombies flooding towards us. We fired bullets into the huge crowed and, as the crowd grew smaller, I felt more relieved. However they were closer than I thought, for I found myself being scratched and scraped by careless claws. As I began to reload my pistols I heard a high laughing, sounding a little like a horse. But before I had time to look up, I felt a heavy weight on my head, the screaming laughter now in my ear.

"Get it off me!" I screamed, unable to see where everyone else was "Get it off!" It's claws scraped my back, my neck and my chest. Suddenly I couldn't feel the floor beneath my feet and before I could be worried about this, I was plunged into icy water. I opened my mouth to scream but was greeted by a lungful of water. The creature still held onto my head, refusing to let go as we continued to sink lower into the freezing water. I struggled but the creature refused to let go. My lungs and throat ached for air and the cold was beginning to numb my arms. My struggles became weaker and weaker as we sank lower. Finally I felt the weight leave my head, leaving my shoulders, chest and upper back aching terrible. My blood began to cloud the water in front of me and the light began to fade. I fought to reach the top but my limbs refused, leaving me unable to move. Instinctively, I opened my mouth for air but was met with more ice, foul tasting water. My eyes began to droop and I could feel the icy touch of the water creeping up my neck, to flood my head with bitter cold and slowly numb. I began to slowly ease into unconsciousness, my mouth now wide open, taking in the water. I closed my eyes and prayed death would be quicker than this. Or at least hurry up.


	6. Icy

Chapter 6

"1...2...3...4" The sound rang in my ears, a thumping on my chest. Warm lips pressed to mine, a relief not only for a wanted gulp of air but to sooth and slowly bring back the feeling to my lips. I couldn't tell if I was dead, I couldn't feel much.

"1...2...3...4" there it was again, with more pushes to my chest. The lips returned to mine, another swallow of air. I could feel it filling my lungs and feel the foul taste of that icy water fill my throat. I coughed and spluttered, my mouth overflowing with the water that dribbled down my chin. I gasped loudly, needing more air. My lungs ached terribly but I ignored the pain for now, taking deep, shaky breaths.

"Yes" I heard a voice say, I realised it was close now "She's here, she's alive." I twitched a fingertip, feeling my muscles regain their strength. But as the numbness faded from my chest, I began to remember what had happened. A searing pain ripped through me and I screamed loudly, arching my back again. My neck was stiff when I threw it back in pain but I didn't notice it at first. I began to notice more of my surroundings now, the floor was rough and hard against my balled up fists and I was laying down.

"Zoey? Zoey?" My head spun. As the voice continued, I drifted along the lines of unconsciousness again. I fought against it and, with all my will and probably the only power I had left in my body, I opened my eyes. It was blurry at first, a simple haze of dull colours. But then I began to see shapes and make out some more colours. More shapes began to lurk over me and I lifted my head weakly but had to put it back down against the hard floor again, the simple task seeming too strong at this moment. My vision cleared and I was able to make out a clear figure me. A yellow shirt, a blue cap…

"Your awake" He said, he voice sounded relieved but shaky. Ellis. I don't know how he found me, I don't know how he got me out, I don't know when or where he learned to perform CPR but all I knew is that he was here and so was I and that's all that mattered. I smiled weakly, my hand reaching out for him silently. He caught it in his warm grasp and smiled back at me. He slid his other hand under my neck and pulled me gently up. I moaned quietly, the scratches on my neck stung badly. My clothes were still soaking wet but Ellis didn't seem to mind. He held my limp body in his arms while I tried to slow my breathing. He rubbed my back soothingly in small circles while his other hand kept hold of mine the entire time. My throat ached badly as I tried to speak but no words escaped my mouth. Ellis was looking at me the entire time, looking like he was prepared for the worst. Unexpectedly, tears welled up in my eyes and streamed down my face as I leaned closer into Ellis's chest. It seemed the shock had not worn off. There was a moment of near silence, with only the sound of my sobs filling the air. I guess I wanted to make sure he was really here, not that I was just imagining him or that I was actually dead and this was a warm, strong, sweet-smelling heaven.

"You scared me there Zoey" Ellis laughed weakly, making me jump. "I thought you were…" He didn't finish his sentence but closed his eyes. I tried to speak but my lips failed me once again.

"I saw you fall, havin' that jockey on your back but by the time I'd got over to you, you'd already sunk right down. I had to dive in and save you or…" Ellis didn't finish again. Ellis's shirt and jeans were damp but not as wet as mine, looking as if I was unconscious for longer than I thought. I shivered violently in his arms, my breathing ragged. Ellis simply held my soaking wet body in his arms and rocked me a little too fast to sooth. My clothes clung to me, almost inviting in the worst of the cold. We were still on the bridge, sitting on the hard tarmac. The others were nowhere in sight.

"It's ok" Ellis whispered in my ear, still rocking me "I'm here, Ellis got ya'" He repeated over and over. I tried to tell him to stop, that I was fine to get up but my voice was lost. I didn't even struggle to break free from his embrace, not only because I was in too fragile state to move but that his warm arms were a comfort for me, a feeling of home. I was still sobbing, my breath almost in hiccups. The foul taste of the icy water still lingered in my mouth and throat, an unpleasant feeling. I could feel the strength being pulled out of me, my eyes drooping. I was suddenly, so tired.

"Ah the others are here" I heard Ellis mutter to himself before looking down at me. "Come on, Zoey we gotta go." I looked at him wearily. He chuckled lightly and ran his fingers through my wet hair before standing up with me still in his arms and carried me over to the truck he had seen earlier, the engine now running.

"I got it working" He explained as we walked "Managed to hot wire it, at least it will get us closer to New Orleans quicker." I nodded weakly. The others climbed into the back of the truck while Ellis laid me down next to him before climbing into the drivers seat. There was no window to the back, so I couldn't see the others. It took Ellis a few pushes of the accelerator before we actually started moving. He swerved around the few cars and dodge around the trees in the murky forest before we were met a huge highway that led off into the horizon. The sun began to peek out from behind the clouds, warming me a little. Ellis leaned his arm against the broken window, look at me and smiled. I smiled weakly back and shuffled up a little to rest my head in his lap, laying on my back. He left his right hand on the wheel while the other stroked my hair. It felt nice. I closed my eyes and sighed heavily.

"Are you feeling better?" Ellis asked. I cleared my throat and was glad I was able to speak.

"Yeah" I whispered, my voice sounding sore "A little."

"Good" Ellis laughed lightly, leaning down the kiss my forehead. There was a thump from the back of the truck, making me jump.

"Keep your eyes on the road Ellis" Nick yelled. I giggled but soon regretted it, wincing in pain. The cuts the jockey-as Ellis called it-left were extremely painful and my shoulders ached badly. Ellis seemed to notice me wince.

"What's wrong Zoey?" He asked suddenly, worriedly looking down at me.

"It left cuts, on me" I whispered, moaning weakly. I moved my jacket and tank top out of the way to show him the deep wounds on my chest. I heard Ellis gasp quietly and, when I looked down it seemed they were worse then I'd thought.

"Zoey" He whispered, his eyes smouldered. He rested his hand on my cheek and I closed my eyes again. I winded my fingers into his and smiled, my tiredness returning. I didn't full fast asleep, I simply drifted. I could still hear my surroundings pretty well, I was able to hear the roar of the engine beneath me and Ellis's hand still rested on my cheek. Ellis gently unwound his hand from mine and wrapped it carefully around my thigh. I shivered and sighed, as memories from last night flooded into my mind. I honestly hadn't meant for it to go that far but Ellis just, done something to me, he was just too irresistible to refuse. I sighed heavily as I thought of this, the wind from the broken window playing with my hair. I could hear the light mutters of Coach, Rochelle and Nick from the back of the truck, their voices muted through the rusty painted metal. I heard Ellis sigh as he ran his index finger along my thigh aimlessly, making my breathing hitch slightly. It was silly how much I reacted at even the smallest touches. Ellis's lap was warm, Ellis himself was always warm. My own little sun. The car engine suddenly stopped and it fell silent. We'd been driving for a while, so I wondered if we'd run out of gas. I felt Ellis leave me, his hand gone, placing my head gently from his lap onto the rough seat, before closing the door with a bang. I opened my eyes slowly and yawned before sitting up. Well I'd been right about two things. One, we had been driving for a long time, the sun was starting to set out of the windshield view. And two, we were at a gas station, but I don't think we were stopping just for fuel. The passenger door flung open and Ellis smiled at me. I yawned and shuffled over to him. He pulled me into an embrace, his fingers running through my hair.

"What are we doing here?" I asked weakly, rubbing my eyes.

"Were staying here for the night" Ellis explained, smiling at me. I wrapped my hands around his neck and let him carry me. He chuckled lightly against my cheek, closed the truck door and headed towards the run down garage. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, his musky scent bringing a familiar calming sense over me.

"She's tired" Ellis answered a question I hadn't heard. "Yeah, you guys go I'll stay here." I could tell we were inside now, it was warmer and I could faintly see light through my eyelids. I could hear him opening another door and stepping in before I felt him slunk down onto the floor, leaning against something, with me still in his arms. I felt him pull something over me, a blanket maybe. I could feel him stroking my back carefully with the tips of his fingers, making me sigh heavily. My clothes were still slightly damp but Ellis didn't seem to mind. It was warm in this room, a nice change, although it could have just been Ellis, due to the fact he was always warm.

"Your so cute when your asleep" Ellis murmured, his voice low. I smiled to myself, wondering if Ellis knew I could hear him. I began to feel myself slipping away from my surroundings, I stopped noticing things like the temperature or wondering what time it was. As I did, I remembered what it was like, when I was dragged into the water by that _jockey_ thing. I didn't know when the memory turned into a dream but one minute I was curled up in Ellis's arms, the next I was standing on the bridge, the wind whipping my hair into my face. I could hear the jockey coming towards me but I wasn't looking at it, I don't think I'd actually noticed it. Ellis was standing next to me his face blank, unreadable. He still had his cute little truck cap on, though the wind was now fierce. I'd forgotten that the jockey was behind me but I suddenly felt the familiar pressure on my shoulders. Although I could feel it covering my eyes I could see perfectly well. Ellis stood with a sly grin on his face, his hands clasped together.

'Ellis! Help me!" I screamed at him, feeling the icy waves flicker at my feet.

'Why should I?' He asked quietly, though I could hear him from where I was 'Your already dead.' And with those final words, I felt the plunge of the frozen water strangle me. I jolted up out of the dream, my face drenched with sweat, my skin burning. As I panted heavily, I noticed the room was now darker then before, pitch black.

"Zoey?" A worried voice came from the darkness.

"Just a dream" I gasped, my head in my hands. I felt arms wrap around my waist and pulled backward, a cheek rested on my head.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ellis asked slowly.

"No, no" I shook my head. Ellis might get the wrong impression.

"Okay" He whispered lightly, taking my hand. I turned around and leaned into his chest, his hands now wrapped around my back.

"Have you slept yet?" I asked curiously.

"No" He answered softly "I couldn't sleep." I felt bad for Ellis, I had a feeling the reason he couldn't sleep was because he was so worried about me.

"Go to sleep" He whispered, his voice smoother than silk "I'll be here when you wake up."

"Not yet." I whispered, smiling. I pulled myself closer to him.

"Aren't you tired?"

"No" I lied quickly. I looked up to find Ellis's earthy green eyes, the way a mother would stare at her newborn child, a blind man seeing daylight for the first time. It was truly a spectacular sight in Ellis's eyes, a different world. He traced the line of my jaw with his finger lightly, smiling through the darkness. I gasped raggedly, a sudden pain shooting through me. I clutched my chest and moaned.

"Zoey?" Ellis asked, panicked. He sat up straighter immediately, his hand cautious. It seemed my wounds weren't entirely healed yet, as blood pooled in the palms of my hands. Ellis seemed to notice this.

"I didn't want to bandage them until you were fully asleep, you weren't for long." He explained, picking up something square from beside him. I tried to speak but failed.

"Don't cry, don't cry Zoey." He whispered quickly, almost reassuring-in a way, to me. I hadn't even noticed the tears streaming down my cheeks. This was worse than when the hunter had found me, the scratches were so much deeper, probably due to the fact the hunter was shot quickly, were as the jockey refused to let go and spent longer on me. There was a ripping sound and a pop, like the cap of something.

"Where are your cuts?" He asked, though he probably already knew. I pointed to them. He simply nodded and pulled down my jacket slightly to begin rubbing anaesthetic into the wounds in my shoulders. It stung a little but I tried not to react, I could feel Ellis wince when I did. I simply closed my eyes and waited. I could feel Ellis's hands carefully caress my skin as I felt myself falling asleep again. I hadn't realised he'd stopped until I heard the door open, bringing me back from my short slumber. Ellis's hands now cradled me, my head against his chest.

"Can I come in?" A voice asked, the voice smoother than silk that I recognised all to well.

"Yeah, sure" Ellis whispered, his sweet breath washing over me. The door closed and there was a thump as something hit the floor.

"Is she asleep?" Nick asked, his voice soft.

"Yeah" Ellis's hand slid under my jacket and brushed his hand along my skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps.

"Why did you save her today?" Nick asked suddenly. The room fell silent as Nick's words echoed in the small room. Ellis exhaled shakily.

"Cause she was drowning" Ellis said simply, matter-of-factly.

"If it was me, would you have done the same thing?"

"Of course" Ellis said, too quickly. The room fell quiet again, only the sounds of our breathing hinting of any existence in the room at all.

"So, you would have started bawling your eyes out and begged someone to teach you CPR?" Nick asked, his voice almost harsh. Ellis swallowed loudly.

"What do you want, Nick?" Ellis asked quickly.

"You remember that talk we had Ellis?" Nick asked, his voice like steel. There was a noise, like a shuffled sound. Ellis said nothing. What talk had they had? This really was a strange dream I was having.

"Go, Nick" Ellis whispered, his voice hoarse.

"You remember what I said?" Nick continued. Ellis gripped me tighter.

"Go" Ellis said again. The squeaky door swung open again before slamming shut, making me jump slightly. I began to feel myself slipping into unconsciousness, much to my disappointment.

_I was running, running for my life, my legs now robotic. My heart was pounding in my head making me unable to think straight. My vision began to blur and a wave of panic washed over me. And as I turned around to see exactly what I was running from, I slipped on the wet ground, my head slamming harshly into the concrete floor. Blood seeped from my forehead and, as I looked up, I was able to make out another figure kneeling beside me. I recognised the murky, bloodstained yellow shirt and blue truck hat._

"_Zoey get up!" Ellis screamed at me, tugging at my arm "Get up Zoey, get up!" But then Ellis was gone. I didn't know where but he was gone. But then his limp body fell beside me, his eyes open and still, the blood draining from his face. His hands that had once held me were now curled slightly and turning a stone grey. Then someone picked up Ellis by his feet and began dragging him away from me. I remember screaming at them, begging them to leave him with me, just for a little longer. But whoever it was refused and continued to drag him, cutting his face on the sharp stones as they did. And all the while, Louis's voice rang in my head._

"_Francis. She's gone, she's fucking gone Francis!"_

I opened my eyes swiftly and sat up, shivering and gasping. The room was pitch black, the sound of rain pounded around me. My eyes were blurred with tears, which I quickly wiped away. I tried to control my gasps and looked up to find Ellis's face now soft and relaxed. I leaned into him, knowing that just the fact he was with me would reassure me and drive the nightmare away quicker than anything else. Ellis sighed heavily in his sleep, making me close my eyes and smile a little. I leaned back a little and traced the lines across Ellis's face, the stress and worry faded from his face for a short while. I felt a little guilty, while I was sprawling comfortably in his arms, all he had was the wall and it didn't look like much of a pillow. I leaned back into his chest, sighing and waited for sleep to come for me again. But, after a while, I found myself still wide awake and restless. What Ellis and Nick had talked about had made me curious. I felt like just a dream, but I couldn't be sure.

I carefully unwound Ellis's hands from around me and slipped out of his arms. I stood up and stretched but soon regretted it, feeling the pain of yesterday sear through me. But as I ran my hand across my shoulders, I could feel the thick bandages patched across my flesh. I gazed at Ellis's sleeping body sprawled against the wall and smiled. It was hard to believe that someone as perfect as Ellis could be found in something as horrifying as a zombie apocalypse. I loud thump from outside of the door made me jump, my heart racing. Keeping a hand on my pistol I slowly opened the door, prepared for a zombie horde. I was more than surprised to see Nick slamming himself against the door, an axe tight in his hand. It seemed my questions would have to wait.

"Nick, what's going on?" I asked worriedly, placing a hand on his arm.

"It's this stupid guy outside" Nick scowled "He keeps saying he wants to come in but he could be infected."

"Hey!" A rough voice called out from behind the door "I'm not stupid and I'm not infected!" My heart froze as the voice rang through my head. It couldn't be. The voice made my eyes blur with tears as my head filled with memories.

"Nick! Nick, let him in" I cried, pulling him away from the door, gripping tightly to his shirt.

"Zoey, he's infected!" Nick screamed at me, his stare icy cold "You know what happened to the last guy we let in here?"

"Zoey?" The voice whispered hoarsely from outside the door. Nick's eyes widened before he released his grip on me and turned away, a sign he had given up. I flung open the door and jumped into the arms of the person I knew was waiting there. Francis.


	7. Reunited

Chapter 7

Gripping tightly to his leather vest I hiccupped a sob, tears rolling down my cheeks. His arms were around me instantly, as if they had been waiting for me, cradled me against his chest in a tight grasp.

"Francis" I whispered, my voice low and sounding sorer than it felt. He pulled me closer to him, one hand tight around my waist, the other cradling the back of my head. His face buried deep into my neck, his warm breath raising goosebumps over my skin.

"Zoey" He sighed, his voice deep yet a little shaky "I-I thought you were dead." I cringed into him, leaning my head against his chest, thinking over his words. The worry he must have felt for me, the fear he must have felt for leaving me behind, I could feel it in his embrace. As I wiped away my tears with my sleeve, I felt another pair of hands snake around my arms. Before I had time to react, the hands jolted me back, jerking my hands away from Francis.

"Don't go near him, Zoey!" Nick said sternly, pulling me behind him as he stretched an arm out in front of me to shield me from Francis.

"Nick please, he's not infected" I cried, desperately reaching for Francis. Nick grasped my hands firmly, turning to face me.

"We can't afford to lose you, Zoey" He whispered roughly, his voice low. My eyes widened and I could feel Francis's stare on the backs of both me and Nick.

"Zoey, please listen to me!" Francis begged, struggling to push around Nick "I had no idea you were still alive. I told Louis we should have gone back but-"

"Wait" I whispered suddenly, sharply interrupting him "Then, where's Louis?"

Francis's body stiffened in shock before he simply bowed his head in reply, shaking it slightly. I felt myself gasp as I covered my hands over my mouth, tears beginning to well up in my eyes again.

"You mean this guy" Nick began sharply, unaware of the seriousness of the moment "Is the guy that left you behind? The guy that left you bleeding on the street? The guy responsible for the state we found you in?" It seemed Nick was now talking to Francis, anger filling his eyes.

"Look, I can explain" Francis said quickly, looking too tired to answer back "I wanted to go back for her, I really did. But we would have died-"

"_You _would have died? Zoey was practically dead when we found her!" Nick snapped. Francis flinched at his words and I wanted to beg Nick to stop being so harsh to him, but I couldn't find it in me to speak.

"Look, Zoey, go back inside, I'll take care of this guy" Nick whispered, his arm gripping my shoulder and pushing me back a little.

"N-No!" I cried, pushing Nick away from me fiercely "Nick you can't! Let him in, please, it's not his fault what happened!" Nick stared into my eyes for a second before he sighed, his eyes now warm and almost apologetic.

"Fine" He barked, looking at Francis now "He can stay but if he starts screwing up and dragging us down, he's out of here!"

I felt my scars begin to tighten and sting at Nicks words. I had been slowing them down the entire time, what with all of my injuries. Yet Nick never said anything about throwing me out, even when I slowed them down, even when I found myself drenched in my own blood.

Nick began rubbing his eyes with his fingers and yawned loudly, now more focused on his sleep than our new arrival.

"If you come inside" He muttered, his voice sounding hoarse from the yelling "don't wake me." As he turned for the door, his hand clutching his forehead, he knocked into a surprised Ellis.

"Nick" He said quickly, his eyes darting between us. As soon as he noticed Francis his eyes narrowed slightly, looking him up and down for any signs of infection.

"What's going on?" He asked softly, the question directed on me. However, I could barely inhale before I was interrupted.

"This guy here" Nick answered sharply, simply nodding towards Francis "has come back to apologise for leaving Zoey on the street to die." And with that, Nick ducked around Ellis and headed back to his sleeping bag, cursing under his breath.

"Is that true, Zoey?" Ellis asked, his eyes wide.

"It's not like that, really" I begged "Francis had no choice, you saw the state I was in. Anyone would have presumed I was dead." I saw Ellis wince slightly at my words before he exhaled loudly.

"Well" He muttered, taking off his cap to run his fingers through his hair "There's not a lot we can do about it now. We've all got to stick together." He held a hand to Francis "I'm Ellis." Francis hesitated but quickly and firmly shook Ellis's hand.

"Y'all can come inside" Ellis said, placing his cap back on as he began to turn away from us "We're gonna get a couple more hours sleep till sunrise and then we'll move again. Eat what you like from the crappy machines, we've already taken what we need."

We followed Ellis back into the murky garage, the only source of light now a flickering lamp on the cashier desk. Francis gazed at the candy machines, his eyes wide on a bag of chips. I saw him lick his lips but he shook his head quickly and continued to follow me.

We carefully stepped over Coach and Rochelle, who were fast asleep in a few worn sleeping bags. Nick was nowhere in sight.

"I'm gonna go back to sleep" Ellis whispered, heading towards the room we had slept in. He turned to face me, his eyes soft, his expression almost pleading, before he entered the room and closed the door quickly behind him.

As soon as the door closed I leaped back into Francis's arms, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"I missed you so much" I whispered, my lips against his ear.

"I missed you, too" He laughed lightly, pulling me closer. We stood holding each other for a while, both relieved to see the other, before I heard Francis's stomach growl loudly. I chuckled, pulling away from him.

"When's the last time you ate?" I asked suspiciously. Francis rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully.

"Must have been about two days ago" He chuckled "I'm not too good at surviving on my own." I felt a lump rise in my throat at his words. My mind raced with thoughts of Francis surviving by himself. He was strong and capable of keeping zombies away, that I was sure of. But he couldn't devise his own plans and he needed someone ahead of him. He was the build, not the brains.

I walked swiftly over to one of the old candy machines and kicked the glass sharply. The old machine rattled and moaned before a candy bar fell into the slot below. I checked around the room to see if I had woken the others. Coach sighed and turned over, ruffling his sleeping bag, but he didn't wake.

"Here" I muttered, throwing Francis the candy bar. He caught it and hastily tore off the wrapping, biting into it greedily. It looked a little stale but, in times like this, you weren't allowed to be picky with your food. Or anything, for that matter.

"Come sleep in this room" I said quickly, gesturing towards the room that Ellis slept in.

"Okay" Francis nodded, but his eyes were not focused on me. The candy bar in his hand had now gone and his gaze was back on the machine, specifically the bag of chips he had seen on his way in.

"Take it" I smiled "we'll be leaving in the morning, no one else will eat it." I headed over to the wearing door and opened it gently, sending rays of light across the wooden floorboards of our room. Ellis's body was a simple shadow, slumped against the wall over the far side of the room. I could hear his heavy breathing from the doorway, so I guessed he was asleep.

I turned back to face Francis, who was now waltzing up to me, digging his huge hands into the bag of chips and shoving handfuls into his mouth.

He followed me into the room and I closed the door behind us, leaving us plunged back into darkness.

I pressed my back against the wall and slid down, sighing heavily and rubbing my aching shoulders. I sneaked another glance at Ellis, the pale moonlight illuminating his yellow shirt. He shifted a little, his back turned to me. I hung my head low. Was he mad at me? Did he feel unwanted now that Francis was here? My un-spoken questions were left un-answered for now.

Francis sighed happily as he sat down across the room from me, still munching on his crisps. He leant against the wall, his eyes on my hands as I continued to rub my wounds. The bandages that Ellis had taped to me were starting to itch and were becoming a nuisance.

"Was that from that hunter?" Francis asked, all signs of chewing now gone. He must have finished quickly.

"Huh?" I asked, not realising he was staring at my bloody bandages.

"Those cuts" he said, his voice low and serious "is that what we left you with?"

"No" I said quickly, trying to add a chuckle to my voice to sound relaxed. But it was weak and strange and, if anything, made me sound scared. "I got it from a jockey."

"A jockey?" Francis asked. It was silent for a moment while he thought. "Never heard of one of them before."

"I hadn't either, until I met the one that did this" I muttered. I sat up a little further and was able to see Francis's face a little clearer. He was leaning against the wall, his hands behind his head.

"There small" I continued "and hunched over. And they make a noise like a laughing horse. Then they jump on your shoulders and start throwing you all over the place. Couldn't see a damn thing."

There was no reply and, for a minute, I thought Francis had fallen asleep. "Oh" He sighed, his voice slicing the darkness like a knife "now I know what it is."

"You do?" I asked.

"Yeah" His voice sounded uneasy as he shakily spilled each word "That's, uh, that's what got Louis."

My mind began to replay the memories of that thing on my back, the high pitched laughter, the deep cuts. I couldn't begin to think what it would have been like had I not been saved from the freezing water. My eyes began to prick as I imagined what must have been going through Louis's mind as he took his last breath.

"Did you see it?" I whispered, my voice now rough and fragile.

"Course I did" Francis growled, though his anger was not directed at me "I tried to help him, god I did. But that thing was fast and saving what little was left of him would have been suicide. I like to think he went quickly-"

"Do you want a sleeping bag?" I interrupted, my eyes now sore.

"Do you have one?" Francis asked.

"Yeah" I lied, before I heaved myself off the floor "I'll go get you one." I quickly opened the crumbling door again and into the light of the dying desk lamp. I inhaled shakily and began stepping over my friends, my eyes now focused on the sleeping bag that was designated to me. I wasn't interested in retrieving it for myself. I just needed an excuse to step outside and keep myself from crying in front of Francis again. It was the last thing he needed.

I scooped it up and cradled it in my arms, glancing at my reflection in the old candy machines. My face was pale yet my cheeks were covered with fresh purple bruises. My neck was stained red and my face was damp with tears.

I shook my head fiercely and ruffled my hair before I turned away. The zombie apocalypse had seen the worst of me, that was for sure.

I headed quickly back into the familiar room, my head trying desperately to block out Louis's voice. It was all I could hear now that Francis had told me about him. He was always so full of life, so happy, so optimistic. He made this whole thing seem like a terrible dream. He was a person I thought I could never see die.

"Here you go" I said, closing the door behind me and throwing Francis the sleeping bag.

"Thanks" he whispered but was quickly interrupted by a loud yawn.

"How long did it take you to get here?" I asked, taking back my place on the floor.

"'Bout a couple of days, give or take" He muttered "Course, I had to make my own way here."

"You walked?"

"Yup"

"Oh" was all I could say. It had taken us a long time to drive here, so god knows what Francis went through. He must have been walking non-stop, resting only when needed before he was on his way again.

I rested my head against the wall and closed my eyes. I had a pain in my head and pain in my shoulders but all I could do to block it out was listen to the noisy, chirping crickets from outside. My mind began to wander as I thought about how crickets would taste and if there was any point capturing some. Hell, I'm sure in a few months they'd be a delicacy, eaten by only the few survivors that remained.

"Francis?" I asked, though I had no question for him.

"..Yeah" he mumbled. His voice sounded distant.

"I missed you." I stated simply, a smile pulling at my lips.

"Yeah, I…..I missed you too…..Zoey" he slurred, his voice thick with sleep. I opened my eyes again and focused on the faded beams of light that shot across the floor and up the walls. My mind wandered back to Louis, remembering his cheerful, yet rather unusual, aspect of this damn apocalypse. I remembered his and Francis's playful arguments, our minds filled with dreams that we would once get ourselves out of this mess. We had talked of an island, the four of us, when Bill was still with us. Our childish minds hadn't thought of things like food or hygiene, only the bliss of never having to see another zombie again. We were naive and in way over our heads but we were desperate and willing to try not just for ourselves, but for the other three.

But as each day grew closer, more and more things stood in our pathway, deliberately blocking us from our beloved future. Death loomed among us and swung it's deadly scythe, taking us each one by one. We looked at each other as if we were all immortal, as if these people I had grown to love would never leave my sight. But that was just the childish dreams in my head again, and I managed to prove myself wrong.

"Francis?" I asked again, my voice shakier than I thought. I brought myself back from my daydream and glanced over at him. His body was still in his slouched position and I could hear him snoring lightly, a rumble in the back of his throat. He was asleep.

I smiled weakly to myself and turned my attention back to Ellis. Yet again I was met by the back of his head, his thick curls tumbling out of his cap. I brought myself up to my knees and crawled over to his body before sliding onto his lap. As soon as my body touched his, his arms were tight around me, holding me in a steel grip. It was just as I had thought. He had been awake.

"Are you ok?" He whispered huskily, just below my ear. His lips tickled my skin. I simply nodded against the fabric of his shirt, leaning my head in against his chest. He rested his cheek on top of my head and held me in a tighter embrace, rocking me gently. I was disappointed with myself that I hadn't come to him earlier but I knew I was too scared while Francis was awake. I was scared he would see us together and leave again.

But my dismal thoughts were drowned out by the steady beat of Ellis's heart, beating heavily like a blood pumped metronome. His arms left me and, for a moment, I thought he was gesturing me to return to my place on the floor. I was barely able to panic before his arms were brought back to my body again, draping his blue jacket (that was usually found around his waist) over me.

I held the fabric in a tight grasp, clinging it to my body as I inhaled deeply through my nose. It smelled just like Ellis, soothing me greatly. As I held tightly to his jacket, Ellis continued to rock me silently.

My mind felt overwhelmed and it was difficult to think about everything that happened today. I could barely process the fact the Francis was actually here. I hadn't thought about where we might go or what we'll do next or even what the relationship was between Francis and I. I was just too tired, in too much pain to deal with everything right now.

"How are your cuts?" Ellis asked, though he wasn't looking for an answer. He pulled down the top of my jacket and traced his fingers over the damp bandages.

"These aren't going to hold out" Ellis muttered "we'll re-bandage them in the morning."

"Mmmm" was all I could say.

"Zoey?" Ellis asked.

"Yeah?"

"Who's Louis?" the room was suddenly very quiet, the crickets all died down and Francis's snores were at a mute. It took me a while to answer.

"He, um, he was with me and Francis" I muttered "I guess I never really told you the whole story, huh?" I realised now that I'd never properly spoken to Ellis about life before I met him, not that he had ever asked either (maybe it was out of courtesy.) Ellis shook his head against me.

"Well, it was me, Louis, Francis and Bill" I said. Ellis stiffened. It seemed he wasn't all attracted to the fact that I had been with several men before I met him. Though I'm sure if he met Louis and Bill, he would have relaxed a little. All of them were older than me and I'm pretty sure Bill was nearly triple my age.

"Anyway" I mumbled, trying to get back to the delicate subject "Louis was, well, he was amazing to be around. He was a manager at a store, so he had a dress shirt and tie, much more fancy than the rest of us." Ellis chuckled, a little more relaxed now, at least he acted that way.

"He was always so optimistic, always so confident that we would reach our goal, that none of us would die." I sighed sadly.

"Did you and him-" Ellis began, his voice firm. It seemed there was a protective side of Ellis that I didn't know, a dark side.

"No, of course not" I said quickly, laughing weakly.

"Ah" Ellis brushed his cheek against the top of my head soothingly.

"I just-" I whispered roughly, feeling my eyes begin to tear again. It was so hard to think about him and, every time I did, it was of him being surrounded by the creatures he had fought against for so long. It was his blank, unfamiliar stare that scared me the most. Had he died alone, helpless? Just like I was before Ellis found me.

"I-I wish I could have been there" I sobbed, feeling the tears once again roll down my burning cheeks "To see him, just so I could tell him…"

"Shhh" Ellis soothed, hugging me tighter. He leaned his face into mine, softly kissing my lips and rubbing against me. I stayed still and silent, letting him baby me while I delved back through my mind.

'_An island?" Francis laughed, rocking back on an old, wooden chair. We glanced up to stare at him. It was the first thing he'd said in a while._

"_What's so damn funny?" Bill growled, a cigarette balancing on his lips._

"_Seriously? You think we can just find a perfect little boat and drive to an awaiting island and live off fucking coconuts?"_

"_Pretty much" Louis smirked, amused my Francis's anger._

"_Look, it may not be great for a long time" I stated "but hopefully It'll be long enough for this to die down. The zombies will slowly die and by the time we come back, they'll be barely any left." Of course, I had no idea if this was true, I just wanted to sound hopeful._

"_And exactly how far away is this 'island' meant to be then?" Francis asked, rolling his eyes._

"_Well, I don't know" I mused "But I don't think zombies can swim, so we should be ok."_

"_Oohhh" Francis sang sarcastically "You don't 'think' they can swim."_

"_Well, we'll just find out, won't we?" Bill barked, glaring at Francis. It seemed like I wasn't the only one getting tired of his moaning._

_I sighed impatiently and headed towards the saferoom door. I couldn't stand their arguing anymore. Day after day Francis and Bill were at each others throats, making an argument out of everything they could think of. I stepped out the door and into the grey mist, feeling a few odd raindrops drip onto my head. I sat on the concrete step with my head in between my knees and tried desperately to get rid of my throbbing headache. I hadn't taken my guns with me, I had no kind of defence. Hell, I hadn't even looked down the street. For all I knew, I could be surrounded by zombies. But I was so desperate to run away from their arguing that I didn't even care._

_The heavy door opened swung open behind me, allowing the heat from inside to radiate onto my back. The door quickly closed and I heard someone thump down next to me with a peaceful sigh._

"_You ok out here?" Louis asked, his happy voice tinged with worry. I rested my chin on my knee to look at him._

"_I'm fed up of their arguing" I pouted "they've been at it for days."_

"_Seems like they'll never get along, huh?" he chuckled._

"_It's hard to believe they did in the first place." I muttered, wincing as a fat raindrop splattered on my head. Louis leaned forward, his hands clasped together, his face tight in thought._

"_Let's not think about them now, huh?" He said, turning to face me. He gave me a full grin of pristine white teeth. "Let's think about that island. Think about how amazing it's going to be!"_

"…_Yeah." I sighed, though I had little enthusiasm._

"_It may not be the best idea Bill's come up with" Louis mused "but we'll be there before you know it. Then we'll just sit back and relax and wait for the zombie to die out!"_

"_You really think it's gonna be that easy?" I asked, doubting my own words from earlier._

"_I don't know, Zoey. But if I tell myself it will be, then it must be true." Louis stated, patting my back "Don't give up hope, Zoey, Especially not on yourself."_


	8. Rude awakening

Chapter 8

'_They tell us everything's alright and we just go along. How can we fall asleep at night when something's clearly wrong?'_

"Hey" I rolled my head lazily, trying to focus on the voice that had broken my silence of sleep. I didn't want to wake. I was wrapped in something warm and I was more than comfortable.

"Hey, Kiddo" The voice said again. I felt a sharp pain on my nose, making me twitch. I sighed angrily and opened an eye to my disturbance. The hazy figure slowly came to focus, a stained, leather vest that I knew all too well.

"What?" I mumbled lazily, my eyes narrowing. The light in the room was pale and weak, it wasn't time to get up yet.

"You got a bathroom in this place?" Francis asked impatiently, grimacing.

I exhaled in annoyance. "Yeah. It's through the door near the candy machines." I expected him to move but Francis stayed still, staring into my eyes.

"Well" I asked, raising an eyebrow "Are you going to go?"

"Y-yeah" Francis mumbled, his eyes now a little glazy. Suddenly he wasn't all that desperate for the bathroom as shuffled slowly out of the door, turning to face me a few times unnecessarily.

As I watched him leave, my mind filled with frustration. There was something different about him this morning but I just couldn't tell what it was. Was it to do with me? Had I said something last night to upset him?

I closed my eyes and began to relay our conversation in my head. As far as I could remember, neither of us had said anything upsetting to each other. Apart from the conversation about Louis, of course, that _had_ been upsetting. Maybe he had just been like me and found it hard to forget Louis's death. I couldn't

blame him.

I would have got up to follow Francis, ask him if he was ok, if he needed anything. Tell him that I thought about him from the day we were parted. But the usually hard and uncomfortable wall was soft and warm and kept me from aiding my friend.

Was it just my imagination-or was I still dreaming-that I was laying on something squishy and felt gentle breaths in my ear.

Gentle…breaths.

My heart froze inside my chest as I pulled back, hoping to see something different than what I thought. But no, I was wrong.

Ellis lay slumped against the wall, his trucker cap pulled down over his eyes, his arms limp from where they had held me. I blushed furiously and thumped onto the wooden floor, curling my knees up against me and biting my lip firmly. Why didn't I wake up earlier and move?

No wonder Francis seemed upset this morning, he had woken up to see me curled up in the arms of a man he had only just met. That was the one thing I didn't want him to see, not yet.

I swear Francis had felt more for me than I did for him, I could feel it when we were together. To me, our relationship had been at a comfortable friend level. But did Francis feel the same?

I heard the door swing open again and heavy footsteps drag across the floor, but I didn't dare look up. I was so scared of what Francis would say. Or would he say anything at all? Would he just leave, storm out because he felt unwanted? I had to find the courage to tell him, but right now I couldn't face him. At least, I thought I couldn't.

"Hey" Francis's gruff voice sounded close "You alright there?" I looked up from my jeans to find him crouched beside me, his eyes wide.

"Yeah" I sighed "I'm fine."

"Ok" Francis replied simply, his breath smelling of cigarettes as he spoke. He stood up and strolled casually to the window, gazing out intently at what I could only imagine was an unpleasant view, especially at this time of the morning.

"Francis" I said dryly. He turned to face me, though he didn't reply "I'm sorry."

Francis chuckled "Sorry for what?"

"This morning" I explained, my cheeks growing hot again "I-I didn't want you to see that, I mean, us together. I thought that, if you saw us together, you'd get upset and, well, I don't want you to leave. I mean, I've only just seen you again and now that I know what happened to Louis I can't bear the thought of you leaving and being by your-"

"Zoey, Zoey, Zoey" Francis crooned, chuckling again "I'm not going anywhere." He could tell I was getting flustered, so I quickly threw my head back to my knees in shame.

"Look" He explained, coming back to crouch next to me again "Look at me." I looked up at him obediently. "I'm not bothered that you two are together, why would I be? I'm happy for you, happy that you've managed to find something good in the evil shit-hole that this earth had turned out to be."

I could tell his words were that of comfort, even though they were quite direct. Francis had never really been one with words but, as I ran my eyes over his face, I knew that he had told the truth.

"Thanks, Francis" I chuckled lightly to help us both relax. It seemed to work.

"Sure thing, Hun" Francis smiled weakly, patting my back. We stood up together and, while I gently pulled Ellis's jacket off of my back, Francis returned to stare out the window.

He fumbled around in his pocket until he pulled out a couple of cigarettes. He put one back and shuffled through a match box, muttering about the dampness of the room.

He struck a match against a metal bar secured in the window, lit his cigarette and inhaled deeply. He noticed my eyes were on him.

"You want some?" He asked, gesturing his hand out to me. He knew I didn't smoke, I think he was just being polite.

"No, thanks." I said, but quickly took advantage of his attention "Francis, I thought the last time I saw you, you had been out of cigarettes for a couple of weeks. Did you find some on the way?" Though I had asked, I found that hard to believe.

Cigarettes and alcohol were among the first things to be cleaned out of stores, so finding some was like finding a diamond in the rough.

"Nah" Francis smiled childishly, like he was hiding something from me. He took another drag of his cigarette and tapped the end with his finger before he spoke "I borrowed some from that friend of yours."

"You mean Nick?" I asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. He was the only one of us that smoked, but it was still quite early and Nick usually came to wake us up, I wouldn't have thought he'd be awake yet.

And besides, Nick and Francis hadn't had the best of 'first impressions,' so I found it hard to believe he would just _hand _them to him.

"Yeah, him" Francis muttered "Guy in the suit with the spiky hair."

"And he just gave them to you?" I asked suspiciously. Francis's eyes dropped to the floor as he took another inhale, slightly more nervous now.

"Well, I mean, not entirely" Francis murmured. He gazed up at me, before sighing heavily and rolling his eyes. He knew there was no getting past me. "Okay, I took them from his pocket but I was desperate! Besides, it's only a couple of smokes, he's got a whole packet!"

"Francis! You can't just take his cigarettes, you barely know each other!" I cried, predicting an ugly fight between them.

"Look, I only took a couple, I'm sure he's got plenty more in that box" Francis assured me. I sighed and, as his words sunk into my head, I heard a loud thump from outside.

"Where are my fucking cigarettes?" I heard Nick scream from behind the door. My widened eyes were now locked on Francis as I cautiously backed away from the door. Francis's mouth hung open slightly, the cigarette balancing on his bottom lip.

The door slammed open, revealing a startled Nick, his hair a mess, his eyes wild and bloodshot. He glanced around furiously, before his eyes came to rest of the pack of cigarettes in Francis's hand. He froze, his nostrils flaring in anger.

"You fucking junkie biker!" He yelled, running towards Francis and pinning him sharply against the wall, his hands wrapping around Francis's neck. The cigarette fell from Francis's limp mouth as he choked desperately for air.

"Nick, stop it!" I cried, running over to try break them apart. I shoved fiercely against Nick, smacking him with my shoulder until he finally let go. Francis panted heavily, his face now returning to normal from the bright purple it had been.

Nick breathed heavily in unison, his eyes still wide on Francis. I stood in front of him, waiting for him to look at me. I wouldn't have been a very good blockage if he'd gone for Francis again-hell, I'd probably get knocked off my feet-but Nick seemed to feel restrained behind me and remained where he was.

"Hey man, chill" Francis muttered hoarsely, clutching his throat. He fished the cigarette packet out of his pocket and threw it at Nick, who caught it eagerly. Nick quickly opened up the box and his lips began shape as he counted.

"There's two missing" Nick scowled, looking like he was going to plunge for Francis again. I remained rooted to the spot, scared one of them might lash out. But, Francis surprised me, as always.

"Look, I'm sorry, alright? Desperate times, desperate measures and all that shit" He mumbled apologetically "I'll give you 'em back, I promise."

I looked back to Nick, waiting for him to yell something offensive or threatening. But his faced smoothed, his expression now suspiciously calm.

"Alright" He said blankly, his voice low "I want them back and don't you dare steal from me again, you hear?"

Francis nodded, just like a little kid being scolded.

"'Cause if you do, I'll shove these cigarettes so far up your ass that-"

"Nick" I murmured, feeling a little uncomfortable. He stopped and looked at me, wide eyed. His shoulders fell and he sighed. He knew what I meant just by looking at me, enough was enough.

"Right" he murmured "grab your stuff, we're leaving." He sauntered over to Ellis who, surprisingly, had managed to remain asleep through the row. Nick nudged him with his foot a couple of times before Ellis surfaced from his sleep, his eyes opening lazily. His dazed expression was almost funny.

"Get the truck running" Nick ordered "we're headed south." And with that, Nick left the room, muttering 'fucking vest-wearing monkey' as he left; fortunately loud enough that only _I_ could hear.

"What a great morning" Francis muttered, still rubbing his sore neck "sorry for causing trouble, Zoey."

"It's ok, just don't do it again" I scowled "you were lucky he treated you so lightly."

Francis's eyes widened, the words 'that was being treated lightly?' sprawled over his face.

"Mornin' guys" Ellis mumbled, now stumbling tiredly towards us "did I miss anything?" He'd obviously sensed a commotion.

"I stole a couple of colonel saunder's cigarettes" Francis muttered, seeming a little embarrassed about the situation now "so he started throttling me."

Ellis chuckled, his warming smile now focused on me "Yeah, he does that. In fact, I'm surprised you ain't crippled on the floor." Francis tried to laugh, but simply smiled instead.

I handed Ellis his jacket back and, although I was dying to hug him, I knew I shouldn't. I could feel Francis watching my every move, even if he wouldn't admit it; I'd have to wait until we were alone.

Francis, Ellis and I headed out into the hallway, where the sleeping bags had been packed away and the candy machines were now empty. It seemed the rest of the group were packed and ready to leave. The old cash register that sat on the dusty counter had been prised open, though I doubted there would be any money in it. And, even if there was, I'm sure it would be in Nick's pocket by now.

As I stepped out into the bright, piercing light of the morning sun, Nick, Coach and Rochelle were throwing their things into the back of Ellis's truck. Nick turned to scowl deeply at Francis, roughly kicking the sandy floor in frustration, causing a the air to become thick with dust.

I shifted awkwardly, trying to get a look at what Francis's face was portraying. But he looked blank, mutual as if Nick's scowl had gone straight through him. Ellis, however, didn't notice and began tapping on the old gas pumps.

"You managed to get any juice out of these?" He asked, not really directing the question to anyone.

"Nope" Coach gave him a glum smile "Even if they were working I'm sure they're bone dry by now."

"C'mon" Nick said sharply "We've gotta get going. We overslept, we're late enough already."

"Let's go" Ellis said happily, turning to face me with a smile spread across his face that said he was still completely oblivious.

Rochelle, Coach, Francis and I sat in the back of the truck whilst Ellis and Nick took the seats up front. I wondered if this would be a bad idea but it was a lot better than having Nick and Francis together. Hopefully Nick would keep quiet about our one-time passions.

The truck rattled for a moment and-after plenty of cursing from Ellis-it roared to life. We sped down the highway, leaving the broken gas station behind us and heading towards the burning morning sun.

"So, how did you get here?" Rochelle asked politely, giving Francis a smile. Francis' eyes widened, as if he'd only just noticed Rochelle and quickly tried to hide the pink flush of his cheeks.

"Ah, well" He answered gruffly "I walked most of the way, sleeping wherever seemed safe, y'know in bars and places like that. I actually found an old bike and managed to get it started, but it only lasted a little while."

"I had a bike back in college" Coach chuckled "never was any good at riding it though."

I shifted awkwardly out of their conversation, my eyes fixed on the road ahead, my mind fixed on trying to figure out what Ellis and Nick were saying. It wasn't only that I was scared that Nick would say something he shouldn't-or even Ellis, for that matter-but because I had never understood Nick and Ellis's relationship.

On the outside they were two completely opposite guys who'd met by chance but once you were with them for a while you began to notice they were much more than that.

The odd looks they gave each other, the strange nods and glances that made you believe they thought it unison. However the only time they really talked about each other to me was when they were playfully insulting each other, with Nick being a posh, ignorant, suited criminal and Ellis being a dumb, hill-billy, daredevil hick.

'They always have such pleasant words for each other' I thought darkly, stifling a chuckle.

"Hey" Nick yelled, his voice only just louder than the crippled engine. He rolled down the stiff window and poked his head out to face us. He had a stern look on his face, yet he strangely looked like he was enjoying the feeling of the breeze in his hair. "What food have we got?"

"Urm" Rochelle mumbled, pulling a grimace that said there wasn't a lot left in those candy machines. She pulled open one of the heavily stuffed backpacks and rifled through.

"We've got a couple of bags of chips" Rochelle called back to him "some tins of…urm, looks like some kinda soup."

"Ok" Nick gave her a thumbs up-though with his stern face it looked kind of strange-before he ducked back into the cabin.

"Shit, we better find some more food soon" Coach mumbled, shaking his head.

"I wish I had something to give you guys" Francis bowed his head a little in shame "But I'd been a couple of days without food myself when I found ya."

"What was the last thing you ate?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Those chocolates with the cream stuff in the middle" Francis laughed "I found 'em in an old liquor store. Tasted like shit, I'll tell you that. I swear the stuff in the middle of 'em tasted more like alcohol than the old bottle of jack did."

The back of the truck laughed in unison as Francis stuck his tongue out at the revolting memory, as if he could still taste it in his mouth. But he quickly shut his mouth as a cloud of dirt spewed from under the wheel and sprayed into his face.

The silhouette of a building began apparent over the never-ending horizon and, as if this was our checkpoint, the truck began to slow. In all honesty, we hadn't driven very far, so I hoped that this was just a stop-off, otherwise it would take us years reach New Orleans.

We pulled up outside, our bodies rocking as the truck slowed to a halt. A dusty, partly-broken sign hanging from rusted nails told us of our building of choice.

"Wondermart" Francis grumbled, speaking everyone's minds "What an imaginative name."

Nick hopped out of the truck, looking a little happier then he did this morning. Perhaps he'd just needed a little ride in the fresh air, like an attention starved puppy, to lift his spirits.

"Let's get in and get what we need" He stated "This could be the last store for miles."

We piled out of the back of the truck and threw our sleeping bags and rucksacks to Nick, who quickly piled them into the passenger seat.

"Are you coming, Ellis?" I asked, noticing he still had one hand on the wheel and another laying across the empty window frame.

"Nah, I'm gonna stay out here" He smiled "Someone's gotta keep an eye out" He gave me a wink and clicked his tongue, a sign that he was happy.

"Let's go" Nick gave the door a slam that shook the truck's weak frame. He then reached for his belt to grab a loaded pistol and nodded at us, obviously stating that he had been appointed leader of this mission. No one objected to that idea, as he seemed to be the most awake this morning. Perhaps it was the lack of cigarettes.

I reached for my duel pistols, that were always kept tucked neatly in my belt; I often felt incomplete without them. I loaded each one and secured them in my hands, where they would hopefully stay.

"Since only Zoey and I have weapons" Nick's voice lowered significantly as we neared the double doors "We'll split up, with our main priorities being weapons, food and any spare medical supplies. Coach, Rochelle, you go with Zoey. You" He pointed a sharp finger at Francis "You're coming with me."

"Why the hell do you want me to go with you after this morning?" Francis asked, his voice bewildered.

Nick turned to give him a slightly scary smile "'Cause if you find any cigarettes, you won't be able to hide 'em from me."

Francis opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. It seemed a light bulb had finally gone off in his head that it was better to listen to Nick rather than risked getting strangled again.

I prised open the sliding doors and pushed my back against one to slam it into the wall, allowing the others to creep in whilst I held the door for them. Nick was the last one in, giving me a quick nod of appreciation, before I quickly jumped in behind him, the door slamming shut once again.

I winced at the noise, flicking on the flashlights on my pistols to illuminate the rotted store. The place was a mess. The shelves that weren't knocked over were empty, dust engraving their frames and shopping carts were strewn over the tiled floor.

My mind was suddenly filled with the store's history as I imagined frantic shoppers grabbing whatever they could, pushing and shoving through others to get out with supplies of bottled water and canned food.

'It must have just been a flu to them then' I thought sadly 'they'd be infected themselves the next time they came here.'

Nick and Francis had now moved from sight, so I glanced back and gave a quick, instructive nod to Coach and Rochelle. They both nodded back eagerly, and began to follow me as we gingerly crept down what seemed to be the dairy isle, our path lit only by the flashlights on my pistols.

Empty freezers lined the walls like eerie, milk-product coffins and, at one point, we had to clamber over one that lay across the isle, it's socket pulled forcefully from the plug as it fell.

As we neared the end of the isle, which I thought had proved unsuccessful, I caught a glimpse of a fire-alarm glass container, with a pristine axe still hanging inside.

"Hey, look here" Coach pointed, trying to keep his voice hushed. He'd obviously seen what I had and I kept my lights focused on him as he rammed his huge shoulders against the glass, grunting in frustration as he did.

"What kind of glass is this?" He muttered, continuing to slam against the red box. But his attempts failed, the glass was a lot stronger that it had seemed, just like many things in this apocalypse.

"Stand back" I said quickly as Coach finally stopped. He stepped behind me cautiously as I began to dart my flashlights in the stores dark corners.

'I need a silencer' I thought, gritting my teeth 'a bullet shot in this empty store is bound to attract unwanted attention.' Although the outside of the store had been pretty much empty, we still hadn't checked _all _of the store. If there's one thing that living like this teaches you, it's that you can _never_ be too careful.

Just when I thought I'd have to risk firing a loud bullet, I spotted a tattered panda-bear teddy next to a few empty cans. With strange looks from Coach and Rochelle, I reached down to grab the panda-bear and nuzzled the gun into it's back, pointing it straight at our troublesome box.

The bear was a pretty sad sight, with stuffing spilling out from it's side and both of it's button eyes missing. Kids, especially young children, must've been the first to get the virus, old people too. I tried not to think too much about that.

With one quick pull of the trigger, the panda bear was penetrated with a large bullet that split the 'un-breakable' glass, with barely a noise ringing through the grim store.

The bear was thrown back onto the floor, it's job complete, and with a sharp kick to it, the glass finally shattered, revealing a gleaming axe beneath. Coach took it silently, appointing himself with it along with a duty to watch out for Rochelle too.

We reached the end of the isle to find a worn out desk with a few more empty shelves behind it, something which I guessed was once the checkout. Nick and Francis were already around it, Nick hovering over the cash register whilst Francis scanned what would have been the tobacco shelves.

Both of them worked silently and seemed to take notice of us from the corner of their eyes.

It seemed the store was clear and we were all just a little too wary, but just as I was about to say so, I noticed the long corridors either side of us, pitch black at their ends.

Their doors had been ripped from the hinges though, if I could see them now, I would guess they displayed 'Staff only' signs, so perhaps I was staring down the hall of a stock room or an entrance to a managers office.

Without wasting time, Coach, Rochelle and I began rooting around the shelves alongside Francis, searching behind empty tins and moulding boxes for something useful. I noticed Francis already had a first aid box tucked under his arm and Nick had several tins balancing between the fingers of his left hand.

Within a few minutes of searching, I'd already found a tin of macaroni cheese that was useable for the next few months and a couple of fragmented bullets, which I thought-with some flattening-could come in handy.

I'd spotted a water bottle by my feet, but the liquid inside was a sickly green colour and had a mushroom garden of it's own. I decided we'd be better off without that.

Nick stood up, suppressing a sigh as he did, and noted all the things we each carried in our arms. Francis still had his first aid kit, but had now gained a few steak knives, one of which he held in his mouth. Rochelle and Coach carried a few bottle of water each, both the liquids in them looking much clearer than what I had found earlier.

"Alright" Nick whispered, seeming fairly pleased in what we had gained "I think we're done, since I can't get that bloody cash register open."

Francis handed him a steak knife "Shove that in the draw, that'll get it open."

Nick took the knife swiftly, as if jealous of Francis' idea, shoved it into the cash register's draw and prised it open.

A loud ring echoed through the empty store as the draw slid open, causing us all to wince and freeze our muscles to the spot. Nick held his breath, his eyes shut tightly, the knife still gripped in his hand. The cash register was empty.

From within the murky corridor, a loud gurgling sound filled our ears.

"Please tell me one of you guys has indigestion" Francis whispered meekly.

Nick and I immediately pointed our pistols towards the noise, bracing for what might emerge. I was scared to admit what it was, so much so that I could feel the lies flowing in my head.

'_Maybe it's a leaking pipe'_ I thought desperately _'maybe it's rats, maybe the ceiling's collapsed.' _

All these thoughts went through my head, even though some of them made no sense of the noise. I just wanted to fool myself, to believe it was anything _but_ what I knew it had to be.

But, unfortunately, the truth hurts. In fact, it's fatal.


	9. Invincible

Chapter 9

The low pitched gurgling began to grow louder as the shadows slowly revealed it's wailing singer. "Stand back" Nick growled, his voice filling me with nerves. We all obediently took a few shaky steps back as a large, boil-sprouted stomach was spluttered up from the dark corridor. 'A boomer…_shit_' I thought, gritting my teeth firmly. We were in such a compact space it was be practically impossible to shoot it without it's guts raining over us.

"What the fuck are we meant to do?" Francis whispered roughly, glancing between Nick and I for some sort of signal. The boomer waddled into full view, it's swollen face looking confused, as if it hadn't seen us yet.

"On the count of three, run" Nick said dryly, his feet still rooted to the spot. I nodded briefly towards him, my guns still held straight in the air, pointing at our tubby, troublesome friend.

"One…" Nick began shuffling incredibly slowly towards the boomer, his gun still held in his sweaty hands. The boomer gurgled casually and I began to wonder if he was blind or something."…Two…" Nick was now ahead of the group, though still a safe distance away from the boomer. He turned to us and nodded, his stern eyes making my blood run cold.

I began to step carefully towards Nick, my eyes still focused on the boomer as I shuffled towards the exit. "Thr…." just as Nick began to spill the final word from his lips, the boomer gurgled loudly with rage, before throwing it's body foreword to project it's vomit over us. Nick suddenly dived towards me, landing on the tiled floor beside me, allowing me to hear the breath be knocked out of him.

Most of us had already made it close enough to the door to only get a splatter on our shoes, but Francis and Rochelle were covered from head to toe in the vile, green goo."Awww, yuck!" Francis yelled, scraping the vomit from his face.

"Get to the truck!" Nick screamed, though he began running straight towards the boomer. We began running down the empty isles as Nick leapt foreword to kick to boomer square in the stomach, causing it to fall back into the hallway it had emerged from.

Nick stood back and covered his face with one arm, before shooting the boomer straight into it's swollen body, causing it's insides to explode over the nearby walls and splatter droplets onto Nick's fading suit.I stopped a distance from the door and focused my attention on Nick. Why on earth was he telling us to run? Sure, we were covered in boomer bile, but we were in a small supermarket in the middle of nowhere. The only thing we should be panicking about was when we'd next find a shower.

I glanced back to the others behind me, who had now stopped as I had and were looking at Nick with the same look in their eyes 'why the hell are we running when we could be getting more supplies?'

Nick began running towards us, tucking his pistols into his belt as he stared at me with a panicked expression.

"What the hell are you doing?! I told you to get back to the truck!" He yelled, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me towards the doors.

"The boomer's dead, what the hell are we running from?" I asked, struggling against his tight grip.

"Them!" Nick screamed with frustration, pointing back to the back of the store. A crowd of infected were savaging around the remains of the boomers body, and more seemed to be overflowing from the door as sudden loud thumps echoed through the store, thumps that had gone unnoticed through the pounding of my heart.

It seemed those other rooms hadn't been empty at all, hell there were probably tons of rooms, even in a small store like this.

"Now run!" Nick yelled, jerking my stiff body towards him suddenly, as the doors behind us caved in and floods of infected spilled from the hallway, their blood-lust eyes focused on our bodies.I burst into a sprint, leaping over the fallen isles, my eyes focused on one goal. The others ran beside me, finally realising the true danger of our situation, whilst Nick lagged behind, firing bullets into the crowd to buy us next few minutes happened so quickly, and yet they seemed to last far too long.

As we reached the double doors, Coach and Francis didn't hesitate in quickly pulling open the doors and holding them secure. But, as Nick ran towards us, he brought an uproar of infected with him, his body just out of reach of their hungry outstretched his hand towards me, which I firmly grasped before pulling him through the open doors. He fell flat on the ground outside, coughing loudly against the clouds of dust that suddenly filled his and Francis were beginning to tremble a little in keeping the doors held open, but there was still one of us left.

Rochelle was still wiping the boomer bile from her eyes as she stumbled towards us, a wave of infected following closely behind her. Unfortunately, the thick slime she was covered in was attracting the attention of the infected that had followed Nick, meaning she was just inches from the door and yet surrounded by infected.

"Rochelle, quick!" I screamed, my voice barely lifting above the noise of the crowd. I stretched out my hand but, as I did, I felt the door to my left slam shut against me, shoving me into Francis.

"Ah, _fuck_!" I yelled, closing my eyes and wincing painfully against the door's weight "Coach? Nick?! Get the fucking door!"

"Zoey, leave her" Nick called to me, his voice unbelievably calm "There's nothing we can do, look at her."Almost forgetting my eyes were closed, I pried them open and was met by a sight much different than what I had last seen.

Rochelle's hand was still outstretched towards me, though whether it was actually still attached, I didn't know. The crowd of infected had swamped over her, her defenceless body slumping towards the floor as the infected bowed their heads lower and lower.

Panic flooding my mind, I grabbed her hand and began pulling furiously against the hungry crowd. But the lower her body sank, the more her hand began pulling _me_ towards _her_ and I found myself being slowly dragged away from the doors and towards the flood of bodies.

Just as I felt the heavy doors behind me beginning to slip, I felt an arm wrap around my waist and suddenly jolt me backwards, releasing my grip on Rochelle's hand and pulling me outside into the burning sun once more.

I fell back and landed on something other than the dusty floor, something soft and that grunted as I landed on it. Francis. He had pulled me back, he'd pulled me out, although thanking him wasn't my focus right now.

I pulled myself back up onto my feet and raced furiously towards the doors, trying desperately to pry them open again. But two arms clasped around mine and held me back as I struggled against them.

"Let me go!" I screamed "we've got to get her!""Zoey!" Nick barked fiercely, loud enough that my struggling ceased for a moment "look at her, she's gone! If you go back in there, you'll be killed!"

I stared through into the glass and felt a lump rise in my throat. Through the sea of bodies, I spotted her faded pink t-shirt, it's colour now stained a sickly red from the blood that pooled underneath her.

I shut my eyes tight, I didn't dare look at her face, for I knew I'd be met by that familiar, cold stare.

Nick wrapped my arms over my chest to restrain me and pulled himself close to me, his head buried in my shoulder, his breathing harsh and ragged.

My heart throbbed inside my chest, as I hung my head, gritting my teeth to hold back the tears. The shock that flooded through my body told me that if Nick let go of me, I'd still try to burst back into the store again, even though my head continuously reminded me it was too late.

I felt Nick's body begin to shake violently and, at first, I didn't understand why. But as I turned my head towards his, I realised he was sobbing into me, his shoulders rising and then falling with each silent cry. I felt his hot tears lace my neck, making the lump in my throat grow even larger.

"Nick" I whispered, my voice hoarse. Nick, Ellis, Coach, they'd all known Rochelle much longer than I had, hell I didn't even know how long.

For all I knew, they could've all been college buddies together-although that didn't seem likely.

Nick let out a final, ragged exhale into my shoulder before he pulled himself up, his eyes ringed a fiery red, his body still jaggedly shaking. He focused his eyes on me, but we weren't able to enjoy the silent connection for long. He coughed loudly to compose himself, before he turned and headed for the truck.

I took one last, long look into the store, trying to see past the tightly packed bodies of the infected for any sign of life. I knew I would be unsuccessful, and yet something in me still longed for Rochelle to suddenly appear, well and alive once again.

It was a loss, a decrease in the group and a grim reminder that we weren't as invincible as we thought. We weren't always going to win, we weren't just going to breeze through this apocalypse like it wasn't a challenge, because it was. And Rochelle's death made that all the more clearer.

"Zoey!" Nick yelled sternly, his harsh voice piercing though my illusion. I turned suddenly to see that Nick, Francis and Coach had already piled into the back of the truck whilst I'd been staring into the store. We had to go. We couldn't hang around any longer, Rochelle wasn't waiting for us.

My eyes moved to the cab of the truck, where I could just make out the tip of Ellis's cap. He was facing ahead, completely motionless. I had wondered how much he'd seen, though I could guess he'd seen enough.

I quickly walked around the truck and slipped into the cab, waiting a few seconds before I turned to look at Ellis. He was still staring straight ahead, his bottom lip trembling as he tightly gripped the steering wheel.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and started the engine. The engine growled to life once more as Ellis steered away from the dusty gravel and back onto the road. Within minutes, the seemingly harmless store was fading away behind us, along with our moral of 'no one left behind.'

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and stared at the horizon ahead of us, my body still chilled to the core. It wasn't the first time I'd watched a person die, but I hoped and I prayed that it would be the last.

I glanced at Ellis, who held the same posture as me, still staring straight ahead, just as silent as the rest of us. He didn't return my gaze, just continued to stare out of the dirty windshield, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning a ghostly white.

Finally, when I couldn't stand the silence any longer, I gingerly shifted myself along the seat to sit close to Ellis. Unsure of whether he was mad with me, I curled my fingers around his arm and leant my head on his shoulder.

But Ellis wasn't mad, I should have known. He leant his head on top of mine and sighed a breath of exhaustion.

"I'm so sorry, Ellis" I whispered dryly, barely able to hear my own voice.

Ellis coughed loudly before he spoke in a murmur "Ain't got nothing to apologise for, darlin'."

"But, but" I protested, before my tears could hold back no longer "If I hadn't have let g-go, I could've p-pulled her in and…"

"Shhhh" Ellis crooned, his voice thick "it ain't your fault, sweetheart, ain't nobodies' fault when things like this happen."

I sniffed as he pulled me closer, taking one hand off of the steering wheel to caress the fabric of my sleeve.

"We've gotta stick together now" He whispered, his voice cracking "We gotta take more care…" He lower his head momentarily, before he turned away from me "Oh…God, Rochelle…"

He took another deep, shaky breath and, as I sat up, he turned to me, his eyes a burning red, just as Nick's were. In the face of the man I thought could never be brought down, it seemed he had reached his limit. We all had.

Death was a regular part of the day now, and the fact that it was infected dying

didn't soften the fact that we were still hacking bodies to shreds, bodies that would have been fathers, daughters, brothers, sisters.

Each time blood was spilt, every time bodies dropped, a little bit of _me_ died too. The small, impulsive voice in the back of my head told me I should have dived into the store as well. It would save me seeing more bloodshed, more tears, more heartbreak.

In a sickening sense, Rochelle was the lucky one.


	10. Ashes

Chapter 10

My eyes stung bitterly as they struggled to keep open against the harsh wind that fought its way into the cab through the broken passenger window. The caramel tufts of hair that poked out of Ellis's cap whipped into a frenzy, his eyes just as red as mine.

We had been driving for a long time, longer than it seemed, the sinking sun now beginning to blaze over the dusty horizon, sending flares of pink and red across the inky sky.

"Shit" Ellis murmured, breaking the silence as he tapped the dashboard "we're running low on gas, this baby ain't gonna make it too much farther."

It wasn't a question, it wasn't open for discussion. It was just a small statement to stop the deathly, uncomfortable silence from gnawing at us. It was just another thing that made this day even worse.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and leaned up from Ellis's shoulder to look at the dashboard myself.

He was right, the tiny dial was flickering in the deadly red zone of 'E.' We were lucky to get this truck and just as more lucky that it had fuel in it. In act of desperation and fear, people took everything they could and fuel was not excluded.

I sat back against the seat, gripped tightly to the fabric of Ellis's shirt and hoped that a safe building would appear on the horizon very soon. I wondered about the boys in the back of the truck; Coach, Nick, Francis. Were they opting for an awkward silence to deal with today's tragedy, just like Ellis and I were?

I kicked off my sneakers and pulled my legs up onto the seat in a effort to sleep. I had to be honest; I was exhausted.

I snuggled closer into the fabric of Ellis's shirt but each time I closed my eyes, a flash of images were strewn before me. _Bill, Louis, Rochelle_, each of them crying out to me through a gurgle of blood that rose in their throat.

Those were the images that kept jolting me awake for the rest of the journey, leaving me still longing for rest and for some way to cleanse my head of everything I'd seen.

By the time I had finally given up on my sleep, Ellis had been forced to switch on the single working headlight in order to see the road ahead.

The air that whipped around the cab was now icy, our surroundings draped in an overwhelming curtain of darkness that could hold our worst fears.

"Shit, I don't want us to have to camp out in the truck tonight" Ellis grumbled "but it's lookin' that way if we don't find somewhere soon."

"What's that up there?" I pointed out of the windshield toward a piercing light up ahead.

"Hmmm" Ellis poked his head out of the broken window, holding tightly onto his hat as he squinted against the wind. He ducked his head swiftly back into the cab, a small smile on his face.

"It's another building…_shit_, looks tiny though" Ellis's smiled faded with a sigh "But it's the best we're gonna get, maybe it'll have some gas pumps."

As the store in the distance began to draw closer, I realised just how small it was. It really was tiny.

It was a small, paint-peeled shack that looked quite out of place. The doors and windows were boarded up with plywood and the porch was littered with broken glass and coils of barbed wire. And yet, despite its look of chaotic preparation, I guessed that whoever had been there had moved on.

Ellis pulled the truck up outside the store, creating clouds of dust as the tires ground against the dry gravel, stirring up an orchestra of coughing from the back of the truck.

Instead of piling out the truck eagerly, everyone sat silently staring at the empty building. The sign outside notified us that we were, in fact, looking at a bank and not a store. Now I was even more confused, since when did banks come bite-sized?We watched, waiting for any sign of movement, a movement that told us to keep driving until our fuel ran out and then run. Where? I didn't know. But, wherever we went, we had to stay together.

Ellis turned his gaze toward me, the same look in his eyes that told me he had the same thoughts in his head. He stared at me until his bottom lip began to quiver, that was when he decided to step out of the cab.

"Ain't no use in sittin' around" He muttered hoarsely, slamming the door behind him. I didn't hesitate in following him. I shoved open the door and stepped out into the night, my feet landing softly on the road.

I headed round the back of the truck to find Coach, Nick and Francis, all cautiously watching Ellis approach the plastered door. Nick turned his head to me slowly, a cigarette slipping from his lips, his eyes swimming.

He slipped a hand around my arm and cupped my elbow, before leading me up towards Ellis.

A part of my brain noted that Francis had a cigarette too, holding it between his lips a little more carefully than Nick. They were getting along now, but why wouldn't they after today. It was no use fighting, not when reality had been dropped on us so suddenly.

Ellis eyed the door, as if he were challenging it, before sharply kicking the boards, ripping the wood from it's hinges. So there was no door, just plywood. We'd have to nail that back in before we slept.

I let Nick lead me into the threshold of the door as we watched Ellis hesitantly feel the wall beside him for a light. Francis and Coach stood with us as we all held our breath and stared into the shadows.

"Ah" Ellis murmured, as if pleasantly surprised. I heard a stream of frustrating clicking, the sound of a light switch refusing its order.

"Damn, no power" Ellis muttered bitterly, turning to face us "Anybody got a torch?"

"I have on my pistols" I replied, pulling them from their holsters and flicking on their lights as proof, illuminating the shadows around us.

Ellis slipped one from my hand and scanned the room, a room much smaller than I'd thought.

There wasn't a great deal of furniture in the room, just an overturned table and scattered pieces of chairs. A velvet rope, once used for orderly queuing, was spread across the tiled floor, as were numerous sheets of paper. The back wall had 3 glass-panelled booths spread across it, booths once used to exchange money. Not that money meant anything now.

"Alright" Ellis turned back to us, seemingly satisfied that the first room was clear "Nick, you got a pistol too, right?"

Nick used his free hand to grab his pistol from his belt and flick it's light on with his thumb. "I sure have."

"Alright, Coach, Francis. You go through that door there." Ellis shone the torch to his left, revealing a brittle wooden door that clung desperately to it's hinges. "Nick, you go right. Zoey and I will go behind the desks, 'round by the vaults. This place ain't this big, but you see _anything_, you holler and we'll re-group at the truck."

The group around me nodded obediently and, as Ellis held his hand out toward mine, I felt Nick's grip fall from my elbow. I handed my gun to Francis-Coach seemed pretty well equipped with an axe-and wormed my fingers into Ellis's.

We hesitantly stepped into the room and, satisfied that it really was empty, turned our backs on the others to search our designated areas.

Ellis shone the light through the glass of each booth, trying desperately to see the room behind, whilst my eyes searched for a door.

"Doesn't look like anything's in there" Ellis murmured, his free hand still gripping tightly to mine "Any easy way to get in?"

"It doesn't look like the door's out here" I replied sadly "there's got to be another way."

Ellis slipped his hand from mine to curve over his eyes, creating a clearer view as he squinted against the glass. I felt along the wall beside me, hoping to find the slit in the wall that meant they simply had a well disguised door.

Suddenly, Ellis screamed loudly and stumbled back onto the floor, causing my body to jolt. Coach and Francis came running through, their faces painted with panic, whilst Ellis simply laid on the floor, panting and scowling.

"Goddamn it, Nick! You scared the shit out of me!" He yelled angrily, pulling himself up.

"Sorry" Nick's voice was muffled from beyond the glass "the door's through to the right, already unlocked."

"You guys find anything?" Ellis asked, turning to Coach and Francis, his face a little pink with embarrassment.

"Nothing" Francis said firmly. He took a deep inhale of his cigarette before his voice lowered to a growl "I hate banks…"

We traced Nick's steps through the door to the right, entering a room that had a couple of desks and a smashed computer on the floor. Nick poked his head out of a door at the far end of the room, his small, goofy smile lighted by the torches. It seemed scaring Ellis has lifted his mood slightly.

"Is there vaults in there?" I asked eagerly, his mood reflecting just a little. It seemed we had given the tiny bank an all clear, but a vault had to be the safest it was going to get.

"Yeah, but unless we've got a safecracker among us, we're not getting in" Nick's smile faded "those things are locked tight."

"Looks like this place wasn't a hold out" Coach murmured "folks just cleared out, ain't nobody been here for years."

Nick threw his cigarette to the floor and rubbed the toes of his shoe against it. "Looks like this place is gonna have to do for the night."

"Looks that way" Ellis replied, hazy for just a moment before his sudden arise of leadership overtook once again "Alright, Coach, go grab our stuff from the truck and start setting up. Zoey, you and Francis grab all pieces of wood you can find and shove it in here" Ellis pointed to the floor just in front of his feet.

"We're gonna need light and warmth, so we're gonna have to build a fire. Nick, you gimmie a hand putting this plywood back up." Francis and I simply nodded at each other before I began gathering the scattered pieces of paper and Francis began piling the parts of chair in the centre of the room.

Coach returned with an armful of rucksacks, ducking beneath Nick and Ellis's early reconstruction of the doorway, his torch tucked under his arm.

In a matter of minutes, a silence of working that need not be broken, Francis and I had collected a decent pile of wood in the centre of the room.

Coach had spread our sleeping bags a safe distance around it, leaving Rochelle's things by the door. I didn't know if we'd be taking it again in the morning, but I knew that none of us would be comfortable sleeping in Rochelle's bag, though our desperation might lead us to using the food designated for her.

"Alright" Ellis coughed, stepping back to admire his work of a fully boarded door "that should hold up." He and Nick had managed to board the plywood back up with scraps of wire as weak nails. It wouldn't hold back the infected, but at least we didn't have to look out into the night. "Damn, I just hope the truck stays fit."

Nick gave him a disgusted look, as if he was appalled that Ellis was even thinking about the safety of the goddamn truck. "Let's get that fire lit, get some light in this place."

He fished a small box of matches out of his pocket and struck one. Coach pulled the sleeping bags back a little, just as a precaution, before I handed Nick a scrunched ball of paper. He lit the end, blew on it gently and tucked it beneath the pile of wood.

As I focused of the growing light in the heart of a pile of splintered wood, I suddenly felt the pit of my stomach begin to knot. Tasteless salvia pooled in my mouth and, as I touched a hand to my forehead, it suddenly felt clammy."Coach, can I borrow that gun?" I asked, slightly impatient.

"Urh…" Coach was now sat on his sleeping bag, waiting for the fire to grow "yeah, sure." He passed me the gun-painfully slowly at that-before I flicked the light on and dodged out of the room.

"Zoey?" I heard Ellis call, his voice worried. I ignored him and ran through behind the booths, shining the flashlight desperately from wall to wall. The light suddenly reflected back at me and it took me a few seconds to realise I was looking at the corner of a mirror, just visible through the crack of a wooden door.

I bolted towards it, practically throwing myself to the floor, the gun scattering across the tiled floor and spraying it's light directly into my eyes. But I was already knelt over a grimy looking toilet without a seat, a small part of my brain telling me to scoop my hair back as the foul, bitter taste of acid flooded my throat.

My body shook as I spluttered, vomiting nosily into the stained porcelain bowl. I panted desperately, shutting my eyes tightly and trying to steady myself, my hands still shakily gripping my hair.

"Zoey?" Ellis's voice was just a whisper, something that would have shocked me had I not felt already vulnerable. I turned my head slowly to see his scuffed shoes stood in the doorway. He knelt down to look at me, his eyes sympathetic "you ok, sweetheart?"

"Yeah" I croaked, turning my head away. If my cheeks could have flushed with embarrassment, they would have. "I-I'm, I'm just fine."

The feeling had come on so suddenly that it worried me. But then, it could have been just about anything. Stress, fear, out-of-date food, I was exposed to all of them.

I felt a warm hand rub my back and watched the light be snatched away from my eyes as Ellis took the gun. We stayed there for a while, Ellis and I, his hand continuing to rub and pat my back whilst I stayed hunched over the porcelain. The burning in my throat began to die after a while, though my stomach still churned.

I finally found it in myself to limply pull away from the bowl, one hand still laced in my hair, the other rested on my knee as I stared hazily at the tiled floor."C'mon, darlin" Ellis whispered, tracing his fingers over the skin of my hand "let's get you up, get ya some water." I let him worm his hand into mine and pull me up from the floor.

Still feeling sick and very light headed, I allowed him to lead me back through the bank, the flashlight of my pistol lighting our way until I was taken aback by the glow of the fire. The flames had certainly grown since I'd been out, creating a fire that both warmed and illuminated the entire room.

Coach and Nick were both laid inside their sleeping bags, presumably asleep, whilst Francis was sat upright, staring into the flames. He had another cigarette between his teeth, though I wasn't sure if he'd asked for it or taken it this time.

"Here, sit down" Ellis murmured, leading me to a sleeping bag. I sat obediently and looked up from the fire to look at Francis, studying the stress that was etched into his face. He pulled his gaze from the fire, allowing our eyes to meet for just a second.

"You alright, kid?" Francis asked, his brow furrowing with concern."Yeah" I nodded weakly "just a little…sick."

Francis's frown deepened "It's been a long day, you've had a lot to deal with.""So has everyone else" I objected.

"Yeah, but what more can you do to a man that's lost it all?"

"…Yeah" I muttered weakly in a pathetic reply, returning my eyes to the fire. Maybe Coach and Nick weren't asleep, I didn't know if I'd be able to sleep tonight.

"Here" Ellis murmured, appearing beside me once again, holding out a bottle of water.

I took it and drank greedily, the stale tasting water sending me back to when I'd first joined this group. I wished I had painkillers like I had then, but we hadn't seen any for a very long while, unfortunately.

The acid sting in my throat had been soothed, yet my stomach still hurt and I felt completely fatigued. The warmth of the fire was lulling me to a drowsy state and numbing my mind from the horrors of the day.

I screwed the cap back on the bottle and handed it back to Ellis, who was now sitting beside me, his legs laid out with his sneakers kicked off. As he tucked the bottle back into a backpack, I slid out of my own shoes and laid down to rest my head on his turned back and gave a small chuckle as I stared up at him, our eyes melting into one another. He leant down to tenderly kiss my forehead and wrapped an arm around my waist in a firm grip.

I closed my eyes and let him soothe me, he was the most effective painkiller I had ever known. The warmth of the fire, the feel of fabric from Ellis's shirt; it seemed I would get sleep after all tonight.

Ellis remained fairly still, only occasional turning his body slightly or exhaling steadily. The fire crackled and spat, the only noise for a while until I heard the ruffling of a sleeping bag and the tap of shoes against the tiled floor.

"I'm going for a cigarette" I heard Nick's gruff voice. So he wasn't asleep after all. "You want one?"

There was no reply, so I assumed somebody shook their head. I guessed it was Francis, he was the only other one in the group who smoked, from what I saw.

Nick's shoes clicked against the tiles, fading away as I imagined him striding out into the other room. Coach tended to be quite picky about where Nick smoked, so he tended to smoke outside or in a different room.

I didn't know if Coach was awake, but it was courteous of Nick to leave all the same. I began to wonder just how many windows were open, because I could barely smell the smoke from the fire.

"Is Zoey asleep?" asked a deep voice. Francis.

"Yeah" Ellis replied "she tends to fall asleep early, gets tired real easy."

"That's pretty cute."

"Yeah."

Their conversation fell silent, though it felt like a hesitant silence, as if both of them had created a sudden, awkward atmosphere. Perhaps Nick had wandered back in, though I didn't hear the click of his dress shoes.

"How was she?" Francis asked, his voice now a considerably weaker "Zoey, I mean, when you…when you found her."

Ellis's body stiffened a little, taken aback by his question. "Well, urrh…she was in a real bad state" Ellis murmured sadly.

He cupped his hand over my cheek, checking for just a second, before he turned my face away from the sweltering flames. My flushed skin brushed against the fabric of his shirt, tempting me to sleep and yet I couldn't. Not yet.

"There was blood just…everywhere, all round her. Her legs were all torn up, I was surprised she could even walk when we got her back to the safe house. Maybe they were just shallow wounds…" I imagined the sweet dimple on Ellis's forehead as he frowned, I could hear the thought in his voice."Fuck" Francis growled "was it really that bad?"

"It was pretty bad" Ellis's voice became a little bitter. "Must've been real hard to leave her like that."

"We had no choice!" Francis still managed to bark, even when his voice was a whisper "We thought she was dead, going back would've been suicide. You saw Rochelle today, it's the same thing!"

It was silent again for a minute, Ellis seemed stunned by Francis's outburst. He held me tighter, almost protectively.

"I'm sorry, man" He whispered at last "You know I didn't mean it like that, ain't a man in the world that could blame ya."

"I'm just glad she's alive" Francis murmured in reply, seemingly calmed from his outburst. "Hell, maybe this was all meant to happen, like fate or something. Certainly did her some good meeting you."

I could practically feel Ellis blush, shifting a little uncomfortably as he did. "Well, I sure am glad I met her. Ain't sure I'd be here right now without her. It's nice to have something to keep ya going, keep ya faith, y'know?"

"You're a lucky guy. She's happy" Francis paused, his voice shaking "and that's all I wanted for her."

The scene around our cosy campfire could have fallen silent or Francis and Ellis could've still been talking, I didn't know. I was slipping into unconsciousness now and yet, although I could feel myself of the verge of sleep, a continuous issue ran through my head.

It was something Ellis said that had triggered it. It seemed so long ago and yet it can't have been more than a month ago. When I was lying in the street, when I'd heard the voices hovering over me, a relief had been washed over me that I'd heard another woman's voice.

And yet, it had taken this long after Rochelle's death for it to dawn on me. I could very well be the last female left alive, the last woman in the country at least.

Now, for just once in my life, even wrapped up in the arms of Ellis, I had never felt more alone.


	11. Illuminated

Chapter 11

I didn't have the pleasure of waking up naturally, slowly and satisfactory as I did on most mornings. No, it was the sun that had woken me up this morning, projecting it's light onto my eyelids with such impatience that I could finally ignore it no longer.

I awoke laying on the piercing chill of the tiled floor draped messily in a sleeping bag, my head still nestled in Ellis's lap, my sneakers tossed aside.

I could taste a bitter grit on my tongue and, as I turned to look, I saw our majestic, comforting fire-a once grand pile of wood and newspaper-now a soggy, doused pile of ash.

I punched my arms out into the open air to stretch them, yawning rather loudly as I rolled over to be met by Ellis's slightly bristled jaw.

He had fallen asleep sitting up, his arms still cradling my body, his head hanging low with exhaustion. The swollen, purple rings beneath his eyes said that he hadn't slept well; Frankly, he looked incredibly uncomfortable.

I shut my mouth tight for just a second and, feeling rather guilty, slipped gingerly out of his arms and into my sneakers.

Taking his head into my hands, I carefully tilted him backwards until he was lying perfectly flat, before throwing the sleeping bag over him.

_He__'__s taken such good care of me,_ I thought, _it__'__s time I returned the favour._I unzipped my jacket and slipped it under his head as a make-shift pillow, to which he simply grumbled and rolled onto his side. That made me smile, seeing all the anxiety drained from his face as he slept peacefully.

I laced my shoes up tightly and stepped over the mushy remains of our fire to head to the light that shone jaggedly through a barred window.

I squinted against the light for just a moment as my eyes adjusted, allowing the gentle breeze of the fresh air to brush against my skin.

For the first time in a very long time, it was refreshingly silent. No gunshots, no screams, none of the strange, strangling noises that infected just a minute I could imagine myself on a beach somewhere, the crisp salt of the sea air dancing on my tongue, the grainy feel of sand between my fingers, children laughing and dogs barking in the near distance.

I quickly snapped the image out of my head. I had to stop this taunting, reminding myself that it was only an illusion. It was out of reach. Perhaps it wouldn't have been if Bill, Francis, Louis and I had made it to that island. We didn't even know what island this was, we just assumed there would be a perfect little abandoned island in the middle of the ocean, conveniently with enough food sources to last us until the end of the apocalypse.

When I thought over it, we sounded like over-excited kids, thinking everything was going to perfectly work out and that our troubles would disappear overnight.

_What about fuel for the boat? What if there__'__s a storm whilst we__'__re in the boat headed toward the island? What if there was no island? What if there was no boat?_

Those were questions that just skipped right over our heads and, if we had really gone through with our plan, would come back to bite us in the ass Louis's general optimism had began to rub off on us, well Bill and I, at least. We were tired of the wasteland towns and the deserted stores and passing deathly silent often say that when circumstances are worst, you need to have something to keep you going. You saw it all the time, the soldiers who wrote home to loyal girlfriends, the desk-jockey cop with a picture of his kids beside his computer.

And to us, the thought of there being a perfect little island somewhere far away, that was what kept us going. The thought of never having to shoot another mangled, ravenous infected again. It would give us _time_, time for wounds to heal, both physical and psychological.

"Nice day, ain't it?" A soft voice came from behind me, making me jolt with shock. I turned suddenly to find Coach stood behind me, his eyes glowing from the soft light emanating from the window. His face was creased with deep, aged lines that I hadn't noticed before, a thick, dark stubble lacing his chin.

"It sure is," I smiled, my breath slowing once more. Coach seemed just as overwhelmed by the weather as I did.

"This is what I miss," he murmured quietly, taking a few steps forward to stand beside me, taking a deep inhale through the nose, just as I did. "The quiet, the stillness of it all."

"Me too," I nodded slowly, "it's nice to actually _look_ outside, y'know? When all you're doing is running and shooting, you can't take it all in and enjoy it."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Coach gave a small, deep chuckle before his face fell. "But you know what I miss the most? The kids. Happy kids, playing ball in the streets. There ain't no kids anymore."

"You used to teach, didn't you?" I asked.

"Sure did. Coached the high school football team after I busted up my knee in a game."

"Wow. Y'know, I never was the kind for sports at school, too busy curled up watching movies and being unproductive," I murmured.

Coach chuckled and shook his head slowly. We were silent for just a moment, both of us delving back into our memories, eyes flooded with the glow of the morning sun.

"I'm tired of living like this," Coach said gruffly, his much darker voice now breaking the silence. He gritted his teeth before sighing heavily. "All this zombie shit, it's taking it's toll. Hell, I ain't as young as I used to be. I mean, yesterday with Rochelle just made me realize-" Coach's voice crumbled into silence.

"It'll be alright," I assured him, turning to place a hand on his shoulder, "as soon as we get to New Orleans, we'll have nothing to worry about." I suddenly sounded too optimistic for my own good, just like Louis had been. "The military will take care of us and you'll never have to shoot a damn infected ever again."

Coach paused for just a moment, before lifting his head and giving me a weak smile.

"Yeah, maybe that day is worth waiting for" he mumbled.

I closed my eyes and took another deep breath, enjoying the sun's glow for just a moment more before I realised I could no longer bask in this artificial peace.

"Alright," I sighed, "guess we should wake up the cavalry and get going. We're not getting any closer to New Orleans by sitting in this depressing bank."

"Amen," Coach nodded. He turned his back to me and began tapping Nick in the back with the tip of his shoe. "Nick! C'mon lazy ass, time to get moving."

"Eat shit," Nick muttered, eyes still closed as he curled closer into his sleeping bag. "I got five more minutes."

I knelt down beside Ellis, observing his content, sleeping face before tapping his nose playfully with my fingertip. Ellis's stirred before his face scrunched up and a small, joyful grin spread across his face. He opened one eye, glancing up at me as his smile grew.

"Time to go, sweetie pie," I smiled weakly.

"Well, somebody's cheery this morning," Ellis murmured, his voice still thick with sleep.

He seemed a little confused as to why I was so cheery when yesterday had been utter hell, yet he didn't seem to complain about my sudden mood change.

"It's a new day and something tells me things are going to get better. We've got to keep going, whether we like it or not." I didn't add that Rochelle would want us to be happy and move on, because even mentioning her name was heartbreaking. But it was true, we would get to New Orleans and Rochelle wouldn't have died in vain.

Ellis rubbed his eyes, gave a gentle yawn and returned to his smile, "well count me in."

We managed to wake Nick and Francis-after some encouragement- and began rolling our sleeping bags up and packing them away, slipping my jacket on again once Ellis got to his feet.

Nick didn't seem to manage the general positive attitude this morning, but I didn't blame him and I wasn't going to force it on him. Things weren't going to get better overnight, that thought would always be dominant, no matter what my mood.

Eventually, the room was clear once again, apart from the soggy pile of ash in the centre of the floor. Now it was just a case of what to do with Rochelle's things, her sleeping bag and designated food that still sat in a backpack beside the door.

We all stared at it guiltily until Coach broke the silence. He stormed over to the backpack and slung it over his shoulders.

"I don't care if I've gotta carry an extra bag," he announced. "Nobody gets left behind and we're gonna keep it that way."

Francis gave him a thump on the back in appreciation. "You're right, man. They're only gone if you forget 'em."

Francis tugged fiercely at the plywood before tearing it from its nails with his bare hands, bathing the dusty bank in the morning sunlight, and gestured for Coach to go first.

Nick and Francis followed him out to the truck, slinging their bags onto their back. Ellis stepped outside and turned back to me, backpack under his arm, and raised his eyebrows.

"You ready?" he asked.

I paused and took one last look around the room that had been my home for the night. In this deserted, cramped bank, I decided I would abandon my grief and my hopelessness and replace it with optimism that was brought by the refreshing glow of the morning sun. If not for myself, then for Rochelle.

"Yeah," I nodded firmly, "let's go."

We piled back into our trusty, paint-peeled truck as I took my usual seat beside Ellis in the cab. The fuel dial was still flickering dangerously close to empty, so just how far we were going to get, I didn't know.

Still, Ellis managed to get the truck started-after a few tries-and we were soon back on the everlasting road.

"Y'know, I'm feeling a lot better now," Ellis gave a small smile, glancing quickly at me before returning his eyes to the road. His hair began to whip into a frenzy once again, a little feature of driving in the rusty truck that I had grown to love.

"Good," I replied, snaking both my hands around his left arm and pulling myself closer.

I felt his stubble graze my forehead as he planted a kiss in my hair. We were silent for a moment, enjoying the purr of the engine and the smooth growl of the tires against the road.

"Oh _shit,_" Ellis muttered suddenly, making me jolt.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked, eyes widening in a growing fear.

Ellis's closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, before he took a deep breath. "I could really go for one of my momma's roasts right now."

I paused, a little surprised by his answer, before I burst into laughter. I felt Ellis freeze next to me before his body began to shake as he joined me.

"What?" He chuckled.

"That's so sweet," I giggled, "your mom still makes you roasts?"

"'Course she does! Well, she did. I used to go 'round to hers every Sunday, hungrier than a horse," Ellis gave me a quick glance and a playful wink.

There was a sudden thump from the back of the truck, making Ellis and I jump from our skins.

"I used to go round your mom's for something else!" Nick yelled, before he too burst into laughter, a laughter that seemed to numb our pain if only for a while. Ellis rolled his eyes, still chuckling under his breath. At least we all seemed to be a little brighter, it wasn't just me having some strange guilt trip.

"My Mom wasn't the best cook in the world," I mused, after Nick's hysterical laughter began to die, "but my Dad made a pretty good chilli."

"Your Dad cooked?"

"Sure did. A cop that cooked, God knows where he found the time." I shook my head, smiling as I reconstructed an image of his gentle face in my head. "He always said I'd be a cop like him, that's probably why he was so eager to teach me how to use a gun."

"Damn," Ellis murmured, lips returning to graze my forehead, "you'd be one sexy cop."

I began to laugh once again, curling myself closer to Ellis to try and control the flood of giggles that seemed to be forming a mask over my grief. Unfortunately, that joy was only short-lived, as I heard a loud bang from the engine followed by dry spluttering, as if the truck was gasping for air.

"Ah, _shit,_" Ellis grumbled, his smile fading, "there she goes." With it's dying breath, he managed to pull the choking truck off the road and onto the gritty sand, creating thick clouds of dust as it ground to a halt.

Ellis and I remained still for a moment as a thump sounded from behind us, 'causing the truck to rock slightly, before Nick appeared at the driver's window.

"Yo, Ellis, why've we stopped?" He asked, yet _another _cigarette pursed between his lips. How he managed to have the breath to sprint, I'd never know.

His eyes were hard like they had been yesterday, his face showing no sign that it had been creased with laughter today.

"She's outta gas," Ellis replied glumly, tapping the dashboard lovingly, "looks like we're walking from here."

"Walking? Are you fucking crazy? We're in the middle of nowhere!" Nick cried, arms thrown up in frustration.

"We ain't got a choice, Nick."

"It's walk or sit here like ducks," I added.

"But…we're in the middle of nowhere," he repeated.

"We're just gonna have to be optimistic," I smiled.

"Like that'll keep me alive," Nick muttered sourly, rubbing his eyes with a frustrated sigh.

Yes, it seemed our happiness had been simply a sudden burst of optimistic energy to help mask the heart wrenching pain of yesterday. Still, I would try to keep it up, I knew no other way to deal with grief. We were human, and that's all we could do; Pretend that everything was going to be ok.

"We better get walking," Ellis mumbled. I swear I saw his bottom lip tremble as he placed his hand back onto the dashboard. "Goodbye girl, you've been good to us. You got us through some tough times and, hell, you got us this far. You remind me of a truck I once had-"

"Ellis, it's a fucking _car,_" Nick growled.

"Right," Ellis mumbled, frowning. He opened the driver door swiftly, hoping to smack the metal against Nick's shin. But Nick saw it coming and jumped back in plenty of time, giving a smug grin.

We unloaded our bags from the back of the truck, Coach still clutching Rochelle's backpack and I stepped back to take one last look at the rust eaten, paint-peeled truck that had got us this far.

It wasn't in the best of shape, it's tires were a little deflated and it coughed and spluttered like a chain-smoker. But everything had to die sooner or later, and that included our truck.

And so we began walking along the gritty dirt, my sneakers filling with sand as I focused on the tarmac of the road beside me, my vision blurring with the wavering heat.

"I hate walking," Francis growled, "and I hate deserts."

"You hate deserts," Ellis mused, "but do you like desserts?"

"Nope, hate desserts too." We all knew it was awful small talk, but it was something to keep us busy and keep our minds off other things.

"Damn," Coach murmured, "what I wouldn't give for a slice of cheesecake."

The group groaned in unison. Food that wasn't in a can was a luxury nowadays. Of course, factories were deserted and livestock were eaten up as quickly as they came. I wondered if the military would have food, proper food that actually had a taste and texture.

_Of course they would. It__'__s a military base, they__'__ll have everything. _

"I spy," Ellis said suddenly, breaking the small silence, "with my little eye-"

"Oh please don't," Nick interjected.

"-Something beginning with," Ellis continued anyway, like a defiant child, "…S."

"Sand?" Francis guessed.

"Nope."

"Sky?" Coach asked.

"Nope."

"Silence," I murmured.

"Right," Ellis smiled, closing his eyes for just a second as he walked, "I haven't seen a damn zombie today."

"You think that means we're getting close to N'Orleans?" Coach asked, his voice raising a little in excitement. "It's gotta be, right?"

"Don't get your hopes up," Nick muttered. He pulled his lighter from his pocket, finally lit the cigarette between his lips and took a deep inhale before he continued. "But yeah, maybe you're right, Coach."

"I knew we were close," Ellis said, before his voice lowered to a whisper. "Don't you worry, Rochelle, we'll get there."

And so we continued to walk, with the hope that New Orleans would appear over the horizon keeping our legs moving.

Nick began to stride ahead, hands thrust deep into his pockets, cigarette _still _in his mouth, though now it had burnt to a stub.

Coach and Francis seemed to start a conversation from nothing, legs moving in unison as they talked about things they disliked. From the sounds of it, Francis could talk about that all day long.

Ellis fell behind the others to walk with me, shyly leaning across to take my hand and link his fingers with mine. He smiled warmly at me; It was one of those nice moments where nothing needed to be said.

We continued walking for what seemed like _years_, with still no sign of an infected the entire way-not that I was complaining. The blazing sun dragged lazily across the sky, until the few dotted clouds in the sky began to flush a delicate pink. It was getting later and later in the day and I soon began to worry that we'd have nowhere to sleep tonight.

"Shit," Nick said suddenly, his general reaction to everything. We all stopped dead in our tracks behind Nick, my free hand twitching for my gun.

"Look," he said, "that's gotta be a store in the distance."

"You sure you ain't hallucinating?" Coach asked suspiciously.

Ellis slipped his hand from mine to pace a few steps ahead of Nick and place a hand on his forehead to stare into the distance. I hurried to stand next to him and looked up at his face.

He squinted for a few minutes, before he broke into a breathtaking smile.

"He's right," Ellis's voice was almost a laugh. He thumped Nick firmly on the back, something Nick would have objected to a week ago. "Damn, Nick's right, that's a building up there. Told ya' we'd find someplace."

The murky building in the distance gave us that hopeful drive that put that bit more extra air in our lungs and spring in our step, the sand becoming firmer beneath our shoes.

The closer we got, the clearer this building became, it's details becoming more significant before Ellis once again stopped in his tracks.

"Well, shit," he chuckled, a wide grin spreading across his face. "It's a mechanics!"

"Are you sure?" I asked doubtfully, squinting into the distance. I still couldn't see the exact colour of this building, let alone what it actually _was_.

"Are you shittin' us, Ellis?" Nick growled, suddenly in no mood for light humour.

"I ain't lying, that's a mechanics! I'm sure it is! Damn, what are the odds?" Ellis's face was still filled with his grin. He seemed to up his pace a little, now more eager to walk than ever.

I was sceptical about Ellis at first, until we drew closer to this mystery building.

And wouldn't you know it, he'd got it right. The building was practically a large garage with a shop attached, a disintegrated car propped up on cinderblocks in the driveway, laying to rot in the evening sun.

"Well damn, Ellis," Coach smiled, "you sure got good eyesight."

"I spent most of my life in a garage," Ellis winked, inspecting the place like he was a cautious viewer in an art museum. "I know one when I see one."

"Were you born in one?" Nick joked, giving a playful wink towards me. The comment seemed to bounce off Ellis, he was in his prime.

"C'mon, let's look inside," Ellis peered into the open garage, cocked his head to look around, before turning to us and nodding confidently.

The garage was dusty and murky, it's walls covered in metallic shelves, an old sports car leant on a jack in it's centre.

Rusted tools littered the floor, drowsy moths circled the blinking light of an old radio; The place had been abandoned so suddenly, it was just a ghostly as it's surroundings.

"Shit, this reminds me of all the good times," Ellis's voice was barely a whisper. "Y'know, this is the type of place you'd find me and Keith, sittin' around on a lazy summer day, tinkering on an old car." Ellis began to laugh loudly at memories that were unknown to everyone else.

"This one time, Keith was under this old truck, and I honked the horn. Scared the _shit_ outta him, he smacked his head right on the metal. Went into a coma for _three weeks. _Doctor says-"

"Urrh, nice story there, Ellis," Francis interjected, silently doubting Ellis's story like the rest of us. "But what I wanna know is, are you gonna be able to get some oil from here? Y'know, for our truck?"

Ellis didn't seem to mind that his story had been interrupted, he was now beaming at Francis.

"Well damn, that skipped my mind." He thumped the dented metal of the old sports car, "I could see what's left in this baby's tank, we'd get our truck going again!"

Ellis grabbed a plastic jerry can from one of the metal shelves, picked up a spanner and threw himself on the floor the crawl underneath the car. He seemed to be right at home here, it felt nice to see him so happy.

"Hey y'all," he called, his voice muffled beneath metal, "could you see if we got working lights in here?"

"Sure," Coach mused. He began to wander around casually, eyes glazing the walls for a switch. Nick hesitated for a moment, before he decided to join the search, grazing his fingertips across the doorframes.

I headed toward the old radio, it's blinking, green light taking my attention. I swiped the eager moths away with the back of my hand before gingerly picking up the radio by it's handle.

I expected it to be plugged in, giving a slight hope that there was still electricity here, but it had no wires. It was seemingly running on batteries.

_Shit, batteries? This place couldn__'__t have been empty a few weeks ago._

I flicked a switch and was instantly met by obnoxious static, something that never changed no matter how far I turned the little dial. Of course people didn't do radio shows anymore, there wasn't time for that. And news? Well, was there anyone alive to even hear it?

As I was just about to give up on the old device, I noticed the gleam of a tape beneath a plastic case in the centre of the radio. I pushed down hard on the play button and heard the radio struggle to play the tape, whirring and clunking now and again.

But, after more coughing a spluttering, a jazzy song began to fight it's way through the speakers, a song I didn't recognise. Brass instruments were muffled beneath the poor sound quality of the radio, but it was music none the less.

"Ah, _now_ we're talking!" Ellis cried from underneath the car. He poked his head out from under the poorly painted metal to give me a playful wink. "Nice job, Zoey."

Suddenly, the lights above us began to flicker, as if they struggled to splutter up light. After a minute or two of irritating flickering, the garage was finally filled with a piercing bright light from the ceiling, illuminating the shadows of the rust-ridden shelves.

"Damn," Nick called from the other side of the room, poking around in a fuse box full of tangled wires. "I'd say this place was in use less than a week ago. Still got power and I bet there's running water."

Nick stopped poking around in the fuse box and headed for a door at the back of the room, presuming they'd be a sink in the back. He reached for the door handle, before he paused, a confused look spreading across his face.

"You hear that?" He frowned, head turning to face me.

I held my breath and strained to hear what was confusing him so much. I spun the dial of the radio to turn the crackled music down in an attempt to hear clearer but I didn't have much of a chance.

After a few loud clunks, Ellis slid out from underneath the car, a triumphant grin spread across his face, a jerry can filled to the brim with thick oil in his hands.

"Got it," he smiled, "ain't much here, but it'll keep us going. Man, I was really heartbroken when I thought we'd have to leave our truck-"

"Shhh," Nick ordered, shoving a finger against his lips. Ellis fell silent, his face falling a little in disappointment. He liked lightened moods, we all did, they filled the empty gaps of reality. It seemed Nick had silenced this one for now.

Everyone remained silent for a few minutes, unable to hear what Nick apparently was hearing. But, after a few minutes, he drew a finger back to his lips and gingerly reached for the door handle of the door he stood in front of. He beckoned at us, to which Ellis and I creeped over to him, Ellis carefully placing the jerry can on the workbench, his attention now elsewhere.

"Nick, what's wrong?" Ellis whispered, once we were close to him.

"I think I can hear crying," Nick murmured, "but I'm not sure. Keep quiet for a second."

Wrapping a hand around the door handle and turning it slowly-wincing at the loud click it made-Nick carefully pushed open the door. The room beyond the door was flooded with a line of light, just big enough to show it was a closet, not very big at all.

And yet, sat in the centre of the floor was a witch, hunched over and wailing harrowingly. Yet, surprisingly, that wasn't the first thing we noticed.

Behind the witch, sat along the back wall not two feet from us, was a large freezer with a glass screen. And beyond the glass of that freezer was _beer._

Bottles and bottles of beer, aligned perfectly in cardboard cases that were stacked upon each other.

"Holy shit," Ellis whispered, his voice dry. He needn't point toward the large freezer, he knew that Nick and I were already mesmerized by its contents. Nick swiftly shut the door, his hand shaking just a little on the handle.

"Ellis," he murmured, "how much of that oil will we need?"

"Well, I don't know. Depends how far we wanna get-"

"Will we need all of it?"

"Well," Ellis paused for just a moment, "no."

"Perfect," Nick grinned, "don't touch that door."

Taking powerful strides, he headed over to the backpacks that Coach had piled on the floor and unzipped his own. He fished his hand inside before pulling out a large, empty whiskey bottle, one I recognised from the fridge of a safe room we had camped in when these people were simply strangers.

He took a swig at the bottle to check it was still empty, clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth to savour the few bitter drops of whiskey, before heading over to the workbench.

"Ellis," Nick beckoned, "gimmie a hand."

Ellis trotted up to him obediently and held the large whiskey bottle still as Nick began pouring the contents of the jerry can into it.

Ellis eventually had to stop him getting carried away, explaining that using any more oil would make his handiwork pointless.

Nick grinned wildly, proudly holding up his whiskey bottle, nearly half full with thick oil, its potent smell making my head spin a little. He grabbed a strained and tattered rag from the workbench and shoved it in the top and suddenly I knew what he was planning.

"Nick," I muttered disapprovingly, brow furrowing. "Are you sure that's a good idea? We're in an enclosed _garage_."

"It's beer, Zoey," Nick smiled, his eyes burning with a wild fire. "I think I need booze more than anything right now. Besides, I need to kill something." Grasping his homemade Molotov cocktail by the neck with a surge of pride, he stormed up to the door-motioning at us to stand back-and carefully opened it.

The witch continued to cry, completely oblivious to her fate, wailing and screaming dementedly.

Since my first-and hopefully last-close encounter with a Witch, I had become a lot more wary of them. It seemed I had underestimated their power before, and I sure as hell wasn't willing to test it again. Nick apparently was.

He fished his lighter out of his pocket and hovered the flame beside the greasy rag.

"Hey, bitch," he barked sharply. The witch looked up suddenly, her eyes wide and piercing, lips curling back to reveal stained, grossly-sharpened teeth.

"This is for Rochelle!" Nick screamed, setting fire to the greasy rag just seconds before throwing the bottle into the witch. The glass shattered against the floor and the bottle's contents erupted into a ball of flame, the sudden heat singeing my skin.

The witch began screaming hysterically, her cries now filled with pain, an unusually human noise almost upsetting to hear from something so _un-human. _

Ellis took a sudden step in front of me, arm outstretched, shielding me protectively. But it seemed his attempt could not block everything.

I watched as the witch's body was swallowed in flame, her muscle began to sink from bone.

Nick slammed the door shut and pressed his body against the wood, wincing as the witch thumped desperately against the brittle closet door.

Nick began laughing darkly as the witch continued to claw at the door, sending sharp fragments of wood flying across the room. He seemed to be enjoying hearing the witch scream, though I'll admit that I also seemed to feel a dark sense of vengeance.

The witch continued to thump against the frail door a few more times, before her struggling ceased and her screams began to wither.

Nick paused, waiting for complete silence, before he gingerly opened the door. I was hit instantly by the overwhelming smell of burnt flesh, the smell leaving a sickly, bitter taste on my tongue.

The witch-or what was left of it-was slumped against the door, the sight of its charred body making my stomach knot with another wave of nausea. We all stood staring at it for a moment, before Francis stepped up behind Nick and thumped him on the back.

"Nice job," Francis grinned, before he fiercely kicked the witch's body aside with the toe of his boot, seemingly unaffected as it's limbs crumbled.

He then eagerly stormed over to the fridge full of beer and began pulling out the crates and handing them to Nick, who held his arms out as if he were graciously accepting a prize.

"Well damn," Ellis said, his voice wavering with shock. He eyed a crate of bottles that Nick handed him. "We got beer, we got fuel for our truck-"

"It would seem things are getting better already," Coach murmured, though I couldn't tell if he was serious or not. His eyes were sunk back into his face, as if watching this witch die was just one death too many, infected or not. He looked just as sick as I felt.

"Y'alright?" Ellis asked gently as I carefully took a crate of beer from him.

"Yeah," I nodded, more reassuring to myself than to him "I'm fine."

Ellis gave me a weak smile before he raised his voice, "alright guys, let's get back to my baby."

"Aren't we going to stay here?" Francis asked, eyes glazing the spacious garage. "We got electricity, plenty of beer and we should be alright so long as we check all the closets." He gestured to the door behind him with a grimace.

"No point," Nick said bluntly, inspecting the crate of beer in his arms. "It's still daylight so we might as well keep moving whilst we can. If the electricity is still working, it must mean we're getting closer to civilisation and besides, I'm not in the mood for playing anymore whack-a-witch."

Taking one last look at the foul remains of the witch crumpled against the closet door, we left the garage just as we had found it, abandoned, and set off on the road we had come.

Nick, Francis and I each had a crate of beer in our arms whilst Coach carried our backpacks and Ellis held his precious can of fuel tight against his chest.

"Shit, this beer better not be warm now," Nick grumbled, a slight smirk on his face.

"It's beer either way, right?" Francis grinned, "I'll drink it 'til I'm sick."

Sudden enthusiasm with the promise of alcohol and a sense of redemption from a charred witch seemed to hurry our pace in the dirt and, in what seemed like no time at all, our rusted truck peered over the horizon.

Ellis stopped suddenly, breathless as he took off his cap to run his fingers through his caramel hair, eyes focused on the horizon.

At first I thought he was exhausted-I knew I was-but that was before he burst into a sprint, screaming at the top of his lungs as he ran.

"I'm coming baby! I told ya I'd never leave ya!"

"Oh Jesus Christ," Nick muttered, but I began to laugh as Ellis continued to run.

He charged into the truck and embraced it's rusted metal, fingertips lovingly grazing the metal frame, the rear-view mirror, the broken window.

"Oh, I'm sorry we left ya, girl," Ellis purred, "I got ya some gas now, don't you worry."

"Urm, hey, Ellis," Nick said in a voice thick with sarcasm. "Just wondering, urh, do you actually _know_ we're in a fucking _zombie apocalypse_ and not some poorly made mechanic porno?!"

Francis burst into laughter, causing Nick to give a sly smile at the fact someone had a similar sense of humour and that meant perhaps he wasn't going to go completely insane.

"Hey," Ellis snapped, though there was more annoyance than anger in his voice. "This truck has got us through a lotta' miles and we'd probably be dead without her. So show some goddamn respect, and maybe I'll fuel her up so we can go!"

"You're not serious?" Nick asked, arching a thick eyebrow. He sighed wearily and muttered something under his breath, before he squatted and gingerly placed a hand on the truck.

"Well, you rusted, tin-can pile of shit-" he began.

"Hey!" Ellis interjected, a scowl on his face like a disapproving parent. "Play nice, now."

Nick gave another sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand before starting again.

"Well, old _girl_, thanks for getting us this far. Maybe if you can drag us another mile, we'll survive long enough to starve to death."

He pulled himself to his feet and looked Ellis in the eye. "That better?" He asked.

Ellis squinted for a minute, deep in thought as he contemplated, before he gave a quick, satisfied nod.

"Thank fuck," Nick breathed, before heading around to the back of the truck and opening the catch.

"Hey," Coach murmured, his voice startling me. He had been unusually quite for a while. "Y'all mind if I sit up front? I ain't feelin' so good."

I felt my eyes widen in shock, "you haven't been bitten, have you?" I wasn't

even sure if that was how the infection was passed on, I just guessed from the countless hours of zombie movies and the reassuring fact I had received injuries and was still very much well and human.

For a stupid minute, I could actually feel tears prick in the backs of my eyes. But Coach waved a hand at me reassuringly.

"Nah, ain't nothing like that, just feeling a little queasy, probably got what you got, Zoey."

"Oh," I exhaled heavily, putting the pieces together in my head, "well, that's a relief. Yeah, of course."

And so, whilst Coach clambered into the front and Ellis-after tipping the contents of his jerry can into the tank- took his usual place behind the wheel, I loaded up into the back of the truck with Francis, Nick, a pile of backpacks and a few crate-loads of beer.

As Ellis began to drive and we followed the smooth road in which we had trekked, I closed my eyes and focused on the smooth feeling of the wind against my face, the hot air enough to make someone drowsy.

I slipped the band from my hair and let it whip against my shoulders and skin, noting that if a person had the ability to fly, this was probably what it would feel like.

After a few minutes I peeled open an eye-more out of curiosity than anything-to catch a glimpse of Nick's face in the corner of my vision, his eyes locked firmly on me with an expression I couldn't read.

"What?" I asked playfully, both my eyes open now, my hair still flurrying over my face.

"Nothing," Nick muttered, quickly jerking his head to the right and suddenly becoming much more interested in the road ahead.

I followed the landscape for while, though nothing seemed to change-we passed the garage once more, now presumably uninhabited.

Still no infected wandered aimlessly like they usually did, making it easy to pretend everything was normal, a trick that was easy to slip in to but should be avoided at all costs.

I turned to Francis, who sat beside me, and smiled weakly at him. Once he caught my gaze, he gave me wide grin in return, before outstretching his arm, his hand balled into a fist.

At first I had no idea what he was doing, until he jolted his arm three times and produced two fingers at an angle, then again with a completely flat palm. Scissors, then paper.

I smiled, suddenly feeling more childish than I had in a while, and extended my arm. Out of three tries, I won twice-something I was surprisingly more proud of than smashing in the skull of an infected.

The day was reaching it's end now, the orange glow of the setting sun piercing the desert landscape, as if it were preparing for its final dramatic goodbye before it disappeared beyond the horizon.

The air began to cool a little now, its comfortable temperature making me slightly worried at how fast it was decreasing. I despised the thought that we might have to turn back and spend the night in the garage, but it was looking that way if we couldn't find another safe house soon-we couldn't sleep unguarded in this truck.

Nick took a deep inhale through his nose, the collar of his shirt flapping wildly against his skin, before his eyes widened. He began tilting his head, searching, before he found what he was looking for and had to restrain himself from standing up on the back of a moving truck.

"Shit, Ellis, can you see that?" He yelled, his voice almost happy.

"What's that?" Ellis called back, his voice snatched by the wind.

"The ocean! I can see the goddamn ocean!"

I sat bolt upright and squinted in the direction Nick was looking and, sure enough, there was the outline of the ocean, the first prominent feature to the skyline yet. I inhaled deeply; The bitter taste of salt danced on my tongue.

"Well damn," Francis grinned, "we've gotta be close to N'orleans now, right?"

"Let's hope," Nick tried to return the smile, but failed, settling for a lighter tone instead. "Ellis, take the right up here."

I hadn't even noticed there was a right turning ahead until Nick pointed it out, I'd been so used to this one stretch of road that seemed to go on forever. The term 'highway to hell' seemed appropriate.

Ellis did as instructed and took a sharp right, our brittle truck now headed toward the direction of the burning sun which lay casually on an ocean that enveloped more and more of the land as we approached. The sand seemed to dance as we drew closer to the sea, swirling clouds of grit that sparkled like dying diamonds in the rough.

My shadow breezed along the dust, depicting the image of a young woman far more carefree than myself, so much more beautiful even though her features were not visible.

I had no idea who she was.

"Hey," Francis said, shattering the stillness, "another building up ahead! It's huge!" His voice rang with enthusiasm and hopefulness, like the laugh of a child.

"You're right," Nick replied, his voice competing with the wind, "right by the beach. Anyone else see stereotypical horror story coming up?"

"Haven't we had enough of that already?" I asked slyly. Nick flashed me a grin, though the smile didn't reach his eyes, too cold on an evening like this.

We pulled up alongside a tall building with ladders climbing it's walls like vines, a large, illuminated sign informing us the building was a hotel.

Ellis slowed the truck to a halt outside, the engine still stuttering as I observed the building more closely.

The windows remained unbroken, an odd few projecting beacon-like lights out to us. A washing line was strung across several balconies, a small, floral dress clinging to the wire in a desperate struggle.

Beside the building lay a pool surrounded by speckled blue tiles, ripples gliding effortlessly across the water's surface, dragging a colourful inflated beach ball along and jolting it swiftly when it fell behind.

Our group remained speechless, absorbing the deserted scene; The only thing this place was missing was people. Not even infected lurked around this spring-break bliss.

"Shit, I knew lady luck was headed our way," I could hear the goofy smile in Ellis' voice. "This place is perfect. Whaddya say we pull up and take a look inside?"

He pushed his foot back onto the accelerator and drew the truck around the side of a building, into a large, empty parking lot. The view that met us was breathtaking, even if the sun refused to shine anywhere but our eyes.I leant across the back of the truck's cab, receiving a confused glance from Nick as I brushed beside him to lean around the side and tap Ellis's shoulder through the broken window. Ellis turned his head, allowing me to speak to him with a little dignity rather than yelling. My throat was dry and my voice was sore-hell, everybody felt the same-but he seemed to pick it up pretty clear.

"Sure thing, hon," he called back, his voice a little less gentle, "that sounds like a mighty fine idea."

"What did you say?" Francis asked, brow furrowing as I turned back. I simply smiled at him as the accelerator growled and Ellis drove the truck up over the perimeter of the parking lot and onto the sand.I took a deep breath and clamped my eyes and mouth shut as I felt the flourish of grit and sand dance over my skin as the tires ground into the bottomless, unstable floor.

Francis, it seemed, was not so lucky as he began to splutter a cough, causing Nick to chuckle beside me.

"Ellis, what are we doing?" Francis asked, "are we fucking deep-sea diving? Blagh."

As if in response, the truck jolted to a halt and the engine took one last, breathy rattle before it collapsed onto the sand like a desperate, dying soldier.

I didn't mention that thought to Ellis, something told me referring to his loyal truck as a decrepit veteran would bring a tear to his eye and some mumble of a poem to his lips.

I pulled open my eyes as the truck doors swung open and Ellis and Coach made their way to the back of the truck, hoisting themselves up to sit beside us.

"Ellis, what the hell are we doing? We're vulnerable out here," Nick growled.

"Chill out, guys," I said calmly. I pulled a crate of beer onto my lap and began to slide out a few bottles, handing them to Nick who in turn handed them out.

"I thought we'd just sit here for a few minutes and…have some time to think."

Nick's expression smoothed and, once he had taken in our peaceful, zombie-free surroundings, his body slouched a little as he was the first to open his beer, popping open the cap with his teeth, swirling an experimental sip in his mouth to then spit out onto the sand with what seemed to be a mixture of beer and blood, before he took a heavy gulp.

He swirled, swallowed and grinned. "Shit, I needed that today. Can't remember the last time I had a beer this great, hell I was banned from so many places…"Seemingly now happy that the beer was safe to drink, the rest of us popped open the caps, I myself using the side of the truck to burst the metal cap free and watch it fall to my feet with a took a swig and sighed heavily, his eyes now deep and sombre with the glow of the setting sun. The dark, purple caves beneath his eyes did not weaken with the refreshing drink or the fading evening heat, yet he looked a little more relaxed, which was enough for me at least.

I took my own gulp of beer, eyes stinging as the bitter liquid soothed my throat and began to form a humble cloud over the '_holy shit we__'__re going to die__'_part of my brain, even for just a while.

"Damn, that makes me feel a whole lot better," Coach smiled warmly.

"Y'all can say that again," Ellis said with my favourite goofy grin.

I turned in my seat just a little and propped my feet against the back of the cab, my sneakers painted an awful rust of blood-matted fabric, head resting on Nick's stiffened for a moment, hesitating as if he wasn't sure what to do, before he relaxed, hands still wrapped around the bottle dropping to his lap. I closed my eyes and let the warmth engulf my skin, the dying orange glow a pleasant sight to the backs of my was difficult not to think of Rochelle when my eyes closed. It wasn't that I didn't like thinking of her, of course not, it was that I wanted to think of her smile and her gentle words, not her screams or her body being dragged into depths more ferocious and blood thirsty than the sea.

No-one had mentioned her for a while; That didn't mean we weren't thinking of her. We were silent when we thought of her and we were loud when we fought a battle with our brains against the screaming.

I opened my eyes swiftly, turned my head and raised my bottle high into the hair.

"Rochelle," I announced pair of eyes in the group seemed to sink back into their heads sombrely and, at first, I thought I should've kept my mouth shut whilst our feelings were still raw.

But, almost simultaneously, every beer bottle raised to reach my with a _clink_ and a murmur of, "Rochelle", before hesitant sips were taken.

And then it got loud.

"Did you seriously Coach a football team?" Francis asked suddenly, his voice unexpectedly chirpy.

Coach looked a little surprised for a moment, no doubt Francis had just broken his chain of thoughts.

"Well, yeah," Coach gave a small smile, "why do ya' think everybody calls me Coach?"

"I guess I just thought it's 'cause you're the size of a-" Francis quickly stopped as Coach's face fell to a playful scowl, "-football."

Ellis burst into laughter, tucking his cap low to cover his eyes, 'causing Nick's body to shake with a chuckle beside me too.

"I'm guessing y'all not a fan of football?" Coach asked Francis, once the laughter had ceased.

Francis grimaced, "Eh, it wasn't all that bad, I guess. It'd been on in nearly every bar in the state, so I'd see glimpses of it." Francis was the one to give a chuckle this time, "at least a little before I was thrown out."

"Whoah, badass sitting right here," Nick mocked, causing another round of laughter.

"Why were y'all always thrown out of bars?" Ellis asked, "ya' sound like the kinda guy who stays for a drink."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Francis winked before he continued, "usually I'd have one too many and start a fight and flip the tables. I'd throw some bottles, throw some punches, throw the TV out the window to try steal it. Pretty much an average Saturday night, in my opinion."

"Average," I huffed.

The group erupted in laughter, the first laughter that didn't sound a little forced. I took another gulp of the bitter alcohol, letting the liquid fill my empty stomach and numb hunger for a little while.

"This one time," Ellis giggled, "me n' my buddy Keith wound up in one of those fancy restaurants, y'know, where they got the shellfish still alive in a tank. So Keith sees this lobster in there n' decides to rescue it from being eaten. Now, if y'all thought a lobster couldn't pick up a steak knife with those claws, y'all thought wrong! Stab wounds over _95% _of his body, and ain't all of that come from the lobster!"

I figured Ellis had more to say, but our laughter silenced his speech, though he didn't seem to mind. The thoughts of Rochelle, the images of her death in my head, were starting to fade with each sip of beer and each chorus of laughter.

By the time the dying sun was flaring shades of red on the surface of the horizon, the back of the truck and the sand around us was littered with empty glass bottles and we didn't seem to realise-or care-how much noise we were making. There weren't any infected around, yet I guessed we wouldn't have noticed any even if there were.

Ellis's hat sat backward on my head, Nick's tie was wrapped around his head and Francis was singing a rock song in some delirious grumble of words that Coach seemed to enjoy so much he was providing musical sound effects.

"H-Hey, guys," Ellis slurred, once Francis had finished with an applause from us all, "I bet the Midnight Riders are still alive out there. W-We oughta send 'em a tape of Francis n' we'd be in one of their shows." Ellis began to giggle uncontrollable and spoke with a murmur, "I nearly lost my eyebrows in their show, all them fireworks."

"Hell, I'd _make_ 'em let us in their show," Nick said sternly, "I'll challenge 'em to a g-game of poker, they won't win. Hell, they won't want to win if the stakes are my bitch ex-wife."

Another round of laughter. This time, none of us felt any pain. No, that would come later.

"We better head into that hotel now," I said, a little more stable than the others, "it's getting real dark."

"Y-Yeah, good idea," Francis grinned from ear to ear, "I want to wreck the rooms, like I'm a rockstar!"

"You do that," I muttered, suddenly feeling nauseated from the liquid that sloshed in my stomach. "C'mon, guys."

Each of us clambered out of the truck, a little too drunk to realise we were leaving the truck and all of our beer unattended on the beach for the night.

The street lights ahead of us were beginning to flicker, a hopeful sign that meant the power was still working. Perhaps this place was connected to another grid or, more likely, had a generator or power station in the town. City? State? We were near the ocean, but I had no hope of an idea to exactly where we were on the map.

We strolled in a carefree manner toward the front of the hotel, our hazy drunkenness clouding it's intimidating stance, and approached the double doors that rocked gently on their hinges with the soft breeze.

Their gold-painted rims remained untainted and I could practically smell the fresh coat of paint that had been lavished on this summer by some kid who needed quick money for energy drink and video games. Or perhaps a hotel of this stature would hire a professional, it was difficult to judge a hotel without it's occupants.

We pushed the doors open and stepped inside the clean carpeted lobby, lights on, a desk fan whirring nosily on the counter, chubby suitcases sat neatly beside empty chairs.

"I need some aspirin to chew," Nick muttered, wide-eyed as he took a step forward to gaze over the neatly wallpapered walls.

"Let's check the rooms upstairs," Coach suggested, "t-there oughta be some rooms…there, upstairs." He wasn't even making sense anymore, I wasn't sure if it was fatigue or stress or drunkenness. I guessed it was all three.

We strode across the pristine carpet and up the grand oak stairs, not even checking the ground floor for infected.

"L-Let's go near the top," Nick suggested, "that way, if there's zombies, we'll be…safer." I didn't mention that if there was a fire we'd be the first to die, I didn't think of it at the time. None of us were thinking logically, we were just lucky that the first 18 flights of stairs were empty.

When we decided that 18 flights was enough, we sauntered down the halls, peering into every room, each door left wide open.

"Shit, look at this," Nick cried, his forced happiness scaring me on any other occasion. He ducked his head into a room on the right, number 184, and took a deep, swirling inhale.

I glanced to the open door opposite and was met by a refreshing sight, a sight that pierced right through the alcohol in my blood.

A double bed, a double mattress enclosed in pristine bed sheets, with goose-feather pillows and even a fucking complimentary mint on a pile of clean towels at it's foot.

_How long has it been since I__'__ve seen a room without blood? _

Yes, the only crimson on the walls was within the delicate roses of the gold-bordered wallpaper.

A solid cabinet sat opposite the bed, equipped with a hefty looking TV, a lamp and an empty vase-no flowers. Beyond that was the balcony, currently blocked by a sliding glass door, with a few cheap plastic chairs seemingly the place to enjoy the overlook view of the beach. I guessed, if you looked over far enough, you'd see our truck, along with a scattering of empty green bottles.

"Shit, this place is fancy," Ellis mumbled from behind me, leading me to silently wonder if Ellis had ever been out of Savannah and the few cheap motels that were a short distance from his house.

I stepped into the room in awe, failing to notice that Nick, Coach and Francis were no longer peering over our shoulders.

The room was glazed in a thick honey glow of light from the setting sun that now suddenly felt so out of reach. The sun was setting, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Sure, it would rise again, but not before night and the darkness that accompanied it took it's share. Not everyone survived the night and if my head had been clearer, I would've realised that, in her death, Rochelle was telling me something. _Warning _me.

Not everyone saw the next sunrise, in fact, an unlucky few saw none at all. They were born into darkness, they thrived in darkness and, to them, there was no light at the end of the tunnel. There was no sunrise. There was no _hope_, no _future_.

You were not guaranteed each morning, they were numbered, just like the doors of this eerily perfect hotel where the beds were made and the lights worked.

It was an illusion, a glimmer of hope, like the flicker of a street light in the night, a flash of a car's headlights. But then the battery died, then the car drove right past and suddenly the night was so much more darker than it had been.

Yes, things were about to get much darker now that I'd seen a light.

Perhaps I would have noticed that had I not taken two uneasy steps and collapsed onto the bed, alcohol and fatigue and pure mental exhaustion refusing to bow to my theories.

You want that car to stop? Stick your thumb out, hitch a ride and things will get brighter, things will get _better._

_Now where the fuck are my thumbs?_


End file.
